Big Mahler Box (A Big Bach Guild Set)

Various artists | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: July 3, 2012
• Label: eOne Music
• Copyright: (C) 2012 Vanguard Classics
• Total Length: 13:12:59
• Genres:
  • Classical
• ASIN: B008J7G5LO
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #36 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Maurice Abravanel's magnum opus and more - wonderful July 11, 2012

By T. Fisher TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a great collection of music eOne is bringing us here -- the complete cycle of Gustav Mahler's numbered symphonies, plus a good and sometimes great selection of his songs, including the full "Ruckert-Lieder" and almost all the songs from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn". The introductory price is unbelievable, but even at full price later on this collection is truly worthwhile.

The heart of the set are Mahler's nine numbered symphonies plus the Adagio from the otherwise unfinished 10th symphony. These are classic performances recorded by the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 1963-1974 under Maurice Abravanel, its first professional conductor and the man who made it into a fine regional orchestra in the US. These are some of the most significant "early" recordings of Mahler -- meaning from back before he became so fashionable. These recordings are also available on DVD audio as well as this 10-CD set.

Abravanel actually learned a lot about performing Mahler from Mahler's own protege, Bruno Walter, in the 1930s in Paris -- where both were living after fleeing the Nazis. Like Leonard Bernstein, Abravanel was an early champion and a leader in a Mahler revival in the US that began in the 1950s and early 1960s. Although he recorded a lot with the Utah Symphony during his 35-year tenure there, many view this set of Mahler symphonies as his most significant recording accomplishment.

These Vanguard recordings are wonderfully engineered and sound gorgeous from a technical point of view. I have read that they were recorded in quadrophonic sound, but the stereo here is lush early stereo, with that sometimes extreme channel separation that they used to favor in the 1960s that I love. This makes for a great listening experience with headphones. The symphonies were recorded in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and the fantastic organ there is sometimes on display, such as in the 2nd and 8th.

Regarding the performances themselves, I don't think this is a contender the greatest Mahler set ever -- the Utah Symphony, especially so early on in its professional development, didn't have the depth and consistency of musicianship available to rival, say, the New York or Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras. But Abravanel had the chops and the vision to lead them on an incredible journey for such a young orchestra, playing some of the most expressive material in the late Romantic / early modern repertoire with real spirit.

There are some minor flubs -- I just heard a slightly flat piccolo near the end of Symphony No. 8, for example -- but the orchestra's enthusiasm and Abravanel's clear and relatively straightforward presentation mean that these are overall fairly optimistic and quite enjoyable readings.

A pity that "Das Lied von der Erde" is not included -- I actually buy Leonard Bernstein's argument that "Das Lied" is really Mahler's ninth symphony, he just didn't want to call it that out of deference to the greatness of Beethoven's ninth and, perhaps, a superstitious fear of the "curse of the ninth". But there it is.

Besides the symphonies, we have a nice collection of songs in both orchestral and piano performance. The contents here are identical to this two-CD set. These are earlier mono recordings from Vienna in the 1950s. The sound quality is not nearly as good as on the symphonies, but the fantastic baritone of Alfred Poell performing the Ruckert-Lieder and many of the songs from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" is not to be missed (mezzo-sopranos Lorna Sydney and Amy Felbermayer also do well, don't get me wrong). I enjoyed Poell's performances as much as those by the great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and here Poell is singing with Mahler's "own" Vienna State Opera Orchestra. (Mahler was director of the Vienna Royal Opera at the turn of the century.)

This mammoth collection of over 13 hours comes with a total download size of 1.22 GB (!). Sound is fabulous on the symphonies, where variable bitrates average 218-241 kbps. Sound is less gorgeous on the songs, but I don't think it's really because of the lower bitrates of 157-176 kbps. I haven't come across any file corruptions or similar problems yet.

The liner notes for the original Vanguard LPs are available online. I will try to post a link in the comments section as Amazon does not care for these in reviews. If that doesn't work, a Google search should turn it up.

It would be a shame to miss this one. Not the greatest Mahler around, but a collection that nevertheless has an awful lot going for it. Warmly recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing performances and amazing value July 11, 2012

By cruisewhiz

Format:MP3 Music

I have always been a fan of the Abravanel performances of Mahler. I had the chance to attend one Abravanel/Utah concerts years ago in a gymnasium at the BYU campus in Hawaii. Those performances included Grofe and Copeland. My all time favorite is the Mahler Symphony No 4 with the star being Netania Davrath in the last movement.

Thank you so much for this collection and it is a tremendous addition to any music lover's collection even if you have other versions of Mahler. Highest regards.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Box, Small Price July 13, 2012

By Erwin Bloot

Format:MP3 Music

"What you pay is what you get" is not a saying that can be applied to this box set. The arrangements are well done and make a fine addition to anyone's collection. At this price no one should let this opportunity pass them by and I hope my recommendation helps.