Customer Reviews

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Symphony No. 9

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Full marks have to be given to Philips for releasing this very logical coupling, which is essentially Mahler's last two completed symphonies in everything but name only. (Das Lied was finished after the 8th, but Mahler felt reluctant to call it his 9th Symphony due to fear of imminent death.) Haitink's reading of the 9th was arguably the best performance of his complete cycle in the 1970s; it has much incandescence, deep thought, beautiful playing, and a wonderful bloom on the sound, thanks to the acoustics of the Concertgebouw. The reading has a degree of reticence which many listeners will favour (I personally prefer a more dramatic, extroverted approach, but that is a matter of taste). Until the emergence of the two Karajan recordings in the early 1980s, this account dominated the catalog and still sounds very impressive even today. The digital remastering has been successful.

Das Lied is also a great success. Dame Janet Baker's thoughtful approach is a wonderful match for Haitink and she was almost at the height of her career at the time. James King is arguably not the equal of Fritz Wunderlich in the Klemperer recording but he sings with intelligence. The orchestral playing is beautiful and the textures and instrumentation have almost a shimmering effect. This is quite a magical performance, especially in the Abschied, where Baker's control of pianissimo is quite remarkable.

The documentation and overall presentation is excellent too. At medium price, this is a very generous and satisfying experience. For some listeners, this account of Das Lied will be a first choice regardless of cost. Enthusiastically recommended.

... this is the interpretation for the ages, with the Concertgebouw playing their hearts out and Haitink holding rock-solid concentration and focus throughout. Rarely if ever have I heard the 9th played with this degree of intelligence and clarity. Haitink makes sense of every phrase, every dynamic, and the complete effect is stunning and exhilerating. If the work, particulaly the first movement, has ever seemed a bit too "top heavy" and bombastic, especially in the orchestration, he shows in how every element contributes to the whole of the work. Inner detail emerges from the first movement like I've never heard before, showing how the orchestration is a web of intricate sonorities that contribute to an epic picture. The contrast in the different sections makes it all apparent for the first time that this work, despite the modernism, actually has a 19th century Romantic sensibility when it comes to structure. True we don't have Bernstein's magnificent sadness and longing at the end of his great Concertgebouw recording--which I miss--but this is an impressive movement nonetheless. The second movement builds and builds in excitement while never losing its bucolic roots. The scherzo is a swirl of demon energy, surpassed only by Bernstein (who is truly unsurpassable in this movement), and the finale manages a miracle: it isn't aloof and distant a la Bruno Walter, nor is it drenches in maudlin sentimentality that undermines the tragic nature, as so many finales are. My yardsticks for comparision are all the Bernstein recordings, Rattle, both Walters, Karajan live, Barbirolli, and even the legendary 1966 Horenstein. This one tops them all, and as I said is the only one that makes "complete sense" of the work from beginning to end. The Das Lied is also excellent, though maybe not in the same stellar class. I understand when this 9th was released in 1969, it was regarded by many critics as the ultimate 9th on record. More than thirty years later, it probably still is for my money. Easily a Desert Island disc.

(Post script: In the spring of 2004 I had the pleasure of hearing Haitink conduct this symphony live with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His conception has not changed much in 30+ years. Rather, there were refinements and even greater clarity of texture. A very memorable performance and the Concertgebouw has terrific acoustics. Haitink, 75 at the time, bounded up and down the stairs to the podium like a young man.)

This recording of Mahler's 9th stood among the best when it was first released, and time ha not changed that fact. Here, to paraphrase what the Mahler afficionado Deryck Cooke said when he first reviewed it in Gramophone, is not Klemperer, Barbirolli, Horenstein, or anyone else's version of the 9th. This feels like MAHLER's version of Mahler's 9th. This is because all Haitink does is scrupulouly (but not pedantically) follow the directions of Mahler, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra play their pants off. Not until Karajan's second effort (live, not studio) did another version of the 9th equal this one. But still, this has never really been surpassed, but maybe equalled a few times. (If it has, I would like to hear that one!)
The accompanying performance of Das Lied von Erde is considered by some to be the difinitive account, and, while I love and respect this recording, I feel that there are a few others (Berstein on Decca, Klemperer for EMI, and Kubelik for Audite) that are as good, and I might even say just slightly better. But really, you can't go wrong with this recording. So there you have it. Two of the best recording of two of Mahler's best pieces. At and a two-for-one price. This really is a GREAT bargain. If you haven't heard either of these works, these really are two of the best introductions to these works you can get. If you already have a few versions of each, they're still worth getting for the insights into the score which they show you that you may have previously missed. I envy those of you who will be hearing this performances for the first time. Happy listening!

"Balm after New York." That was how Mahler, then the music director of the apparently slipshod and untrainable New York Philharmonic, described a guest-conducting engagement with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Six decades after the composer wrote those words, the Concertgebouw's Mahler tradition was still quite strong, and helped to produce what may be the overall best Mahler Ninth on records.

By "best" I don't mean the most emotionally draining; I do mean that in balancing all of the elements which make a successful performance of this musicial premonition of death, Bernard Haitink, the orchestra, and the recording engineers achieve here an almost ideal equilibrium. The result has the clarity of Pierre Boulez without the aloofness that is most noticeable in the French conductor's finale, and the poignancy that comes from not overstating the music's message of confronting and accepting the inevitable (unlike Leonard Bernstein in his Ninth with this orchestra). The total playing times of the first and final movements are closely matched without slowing down the one or speeding up the other--a problem in some other versions. And the orchestra's characteristic playing is captured in analog sound that holds up well today. As an extra added attraction, this Philips Duo release squeezes the entire work onto one CD of just under 81 minutes (the newer "50 Great Recordings" reissue splits the symphony between discs and adds a so-so performance of the "Wunderhorn" songs.)

The second disc in this set is another Mahler recording by the same forces joined by soloists Janet Baker and James King, "Das Lied von der Erde." This was the recording by which I came to know Mahler's next-to-last completed work, and as sometimes happens over a period of years, its impact has diminished for me. While Haitink's accompaniment still seems excellent, both Baker and King (but especially King) are a little lacking in involvement as I hear them now. Nor does King's delivery seem as ideally matched to his songs as that of Michael Schade on the wonderful DG recording conducted by Boulez.

So, a Ninth that may be the finest of all and a "Das Lied" that doesn't quite match it but is still distinguished, all at a two-for-one price. For my money, that's a hell of a bargain.

Although this performance lacks the immediately distinctive interpretive qualities of some other well known and regarded interpretations, it may be more successful in balancing the various disparate elements of this great and complex work. All the expressive points are made, and the textures and counterpoint are admirably clarified without sounding antiseptic or pedantic. Perhaps the most comparable interpretation to this one in these respects is the live Kubelik BRSO on Audite. Haitink's phrasing is not as poetic as Kubelik's, but the orchestral playing is more technically assured and refined than the sometimes coarse sounding Bavarians. Haitink also maintains a steadier tempo throughout the adagio finale than does Kubelik (as Horenstein on BBC Legends also does, but with more distinctive shaping of phrases within the basic tempo than is the case with Haitink). Very highly recommended, being at mid-price, and coupled with a rather sobersided but very well sung and played account of Das Lied Von Der Erde.

I have heard countless versions of the ninth by conductors such as Sir John Barbirolli,Leonard Bernstein,Libor Pesek,Herbert Von Karajan,Bruno Walter,Karel Ancerl,Otto Klemperer,and Giuseppe Sinopoli. I love this piece and i am in constant search for new interpretations and revelations. I know that Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw have produced one of the finest Mahler 9th's ever. This is fact! This symphony is a slice of gothic glory that features mans fear and fight against that unknown avenue called death. Mahler could feel death's hand tapping at his shoulder and thus put this experience to music. It is one of the most honest and terrifying moments in the history of music and will continue to delight anyone who reaches beyond the superficial. Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw dig deep to uncover the melancholy,regret,and horror of the Andante Comodo. You hear an ensemble together as one painting these astonishing colors with a sensitive and precise brush that strokes the senses in a fearless manner. The tearful laughter of the second movement is played with flair,gusto,and a villainous wit. A knife edge precision,strength,and imagination disrobe the violent hysteria of the third movement. Finally, we come to the grand final movement in the form of an adagio which will melt the coldest of hearts with its nerve exposed heart wrenching sincerity. You can feel Mahler screaming "I can't give in to fate...I don't want to die!" The Royal Concertgebouw play their hearts out with a rock solid concentration that will floor you. The strings cry tears of rage,dread,defiance,and finally defeat. This is a superb performance that is guaranteed to satisfy music connoisseurs of the highest level. I can say this because i have heard all the greats do this piece and i have taken the time to study what this work is all about. So go ahead and give Mahler's 9th a try. I promise that you will NEVER be the same.

Without considering the unfinished 10th Symphony of Gustav Mahler, both the 9th Symphony and the 'symphony' Das Lied von der Erde can be considered Mahler's farewell to his life of composing. How appropriate, and even overwhelming, that both these works should be paired: how fortunate that both performances are definitive.

Bernard Haitink's view of Mahler's huge score for No. 9 is, for all intents and purposes, the view Mahler had. He scrupulously follows Mahler's notes and thoughts and in doing so brings out a solid, thoughtful and deeply moving performance. The Concertgebouw plays for him as though they were inside Haitink's head and heart. The result is a fulfilling experience and one that simply does not receive the attention it deserves.

'Das Lied von der Erde' makes great demands on soloists, conductor, and orchestra. In other hands these songs may sound episodic, but in the hands of Haitink and the Concertgebouw, and particularly in the singing of Dame Janet Baker and James King, this cycle becomes more in the symphonic nature Mahler intended. There may be other soloists favored individually by many, but as far as pairing of voices and temperament in the peak of their powers, Baker and King breathe Mahler's spirit into this performance.

Even for those who have other versions of these individual works, having the two paired in this manner results in a musical experience nearly unsurpassed. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Mahler's 9th Symphony (M9) is a masterpiece that dares to explore the puzzle of one's fears of the eventual dissipation of life. The music works on many levels and remarkably, in music, is extremely personal.

Mahler was about 48 when he began composing this symphony and was well aware of his life threatening heart disease. At the time he wrote M9, he had a dilemma: How could he live his life that he loved so dearly with a heart condition that could only be cured if he stopped living his life to the fullest as he'd always done in his life?

Mahler opted to continue his rigorous life of constant travel, conducting, and outdoors activities. As a result, he died from his heart condition 3 years later.

This symphony represents musically this dilemma that encircled his thoughts and his resolution of this dilemma.

It's important to discuss each of the 4 movements of this 1 hour 30 minute symphony.

Movement 1: It is beautiful and filled with longing but throughout the beauty there are reminders of the imminent reality of death. The movement ends suspended, confused as to how to resolve this contradiction of how one deals with the very fact that one cannot forever live in beautiful realms of humanity and life.

Movement 2: Is a fun, clumsy, sarcastic waltz like passage. Initially, it starts off as innocent fun, but eventually, the music becomes macabre and creepy as if the pomp and circumstance of high society waltzes amounted to nothing more than a creepy, grotestque display of shallow, hypocritical enlightenment. There's a sarcasm and even bitterness in the music.

The off-beat, syncopated rhythm again reminds us of Mahler's irregular heartbeat. It's as if Mahler himself is trying to "dance" with modern, cosmopolitan life. For he is a master musician, how could he not handle the glory of high society?

The 3rd Movement, is like a flurry of feelings turned violent as if Mahler himself is fighting death with his anger and bitterness over the very fact that he knows, death in the end with engulf him. But this violent passage ends with a hint of peace only to collapse in one final burst of madness.

The Final Movement is teary, romantic beauty filled with sadness and yet a reconciliation that turns longing into peace. The movemment is the border between life and death and the peace and acceptance of death as being a part of life itself!

Mahler referred to all of his symphonies as being worlds. M9 is his world of his dilemma of the longing to live forever and the acceptance of death as a part of living forever.

M9 has transcended my own personal beliefs about life and death.

Now that I've discussed the symphony, why do I recommend this version of M9 over one of many out there?

Haitnik conducts this as accurately as one can. I've heard 6 versions of M9 and have seen one in concert (Tilson Thomas at the SF Symphony). The Concertgabouw's is the best version because it balances the beauty of the 1st and Final movements perfectly with the sarcastic 2nd movemnet and violent 3rd movement.

Most conductors fail in their interpretation of the 2nd and 3rd movements which are extremely complex. The final movmement is extremely slow which is powerful and important. The 3rd movement is an effusion of explosive out of control feelings. It is like a protesting scream at life itself!

No conductor has been able to balance all four movements better than Haitnik.

The first movement is very successful because he is able to make the intro portion surreal sounding. Many conductors make the off-beat sound similar to that of a ship in difficult waters. Haitnik and Concertgabeouw make the first movement sound more like a weightless shift of light (imagine staring at a moving candlelight).

This is probably my very favorite symphony of all symphonies. I have 6 versions. This is by far the one I listen to the most.