Customer Reviews

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having the opportunity to hear Pierre Boulez illuminate the thick romantic orchestral works such as Gustav Mahler's DAS LIED VON DER ERDE is always a palate-cleanser. While many may find the Boulez approach distant or excessively analytical, I think that may be due to lack of hearing this conductor with these big works in live performance. For this listener Boulez takes nothing away from the sentimental edge of Mahler's works: he simplifies the paths of approach to the big climaxes and in doing so adds credibility to the honesty of Mahler's angst. Another conductor in this same approach is Esa-Pekka Salonen and it is with the latter's Los Angeles Philharmonic that the mysteries of Boulez and Mahler can be most appreciated. (Would that Salonen had the luxury of Violeta Urmana as his soloist in his recording of this cycle: the combination of those three would be well worth re-recording.)

But here Boulez conducts the Vienna Philharmonic with luxurious beauty of tone and ensemble playing. The tenor he has chosen is the rather light weight Michael Shade and while he is unable to erase memories of Wunderlich or Domingo or Patzak, he does ring with authority. The revelation here is the presence of Violeta Urmana. Having heard her with Boulez in the concert version of Act Two of PARSIFAL with the LA Phil was the primary reason for buying this recording. She is stunning and her rendering of 'Der Abschied' is ravishingly sung with an equally breathtaking collaboration with Boulez/Vienna. It alone is worth adding this fine performance of Mahler's nostalgic cycle to your library. Moments like these are rare. Grady Harp, March 2005

Boulez conducting Mahler - this would have been blasphemy a few decades ago, both from the point of view of Boulezian modernists and that of dedicated Mahlerians. But the twain did meet, and though not everybody seems happy with the results, the least that can be said is that Boulez offers refreshingly new perspectives on what is slowly but inevitably becoming somewhat hackneyed repertoire (another thing that would have been unimaginable a few decades ago). As you would expect from one of the twentieth century's foremost composers, Boulez is more interested in Mahler's unique sonorities than in gut-wrenching emotionality. But of course, in Mahler's music the two are intimately linked, and the claim that Boulez's Mahler is unfeeling and cold strikes me as nonsensical. Introspective, maybe, and restrained, to some extent; generally non-interventionist. He sets out to reveal the full complexity of Mahler's scoring rather than highlighting melodies and neglecting hardworking secondary voices. The results of this can be truly stunning, as they are in this well nigh sublime recording of Das Lied. In no other score did Mahler venture as far out into 20th century territories as he does here. Parallel voices each go their own way for bars on end without any clear hierarchy among them; fragments of themes are loosely interjected; rhythms and tonalities clash. And yet the resulting sounds are always gorgeous, the underlying emotions communicated with utmost clarity. Boulez makes you realize all of that, as much as he makes you notice the very close kinship between the fourth movement, "Von der Schönheit", and the third movement of the Third symphony. I had never registered this before and yet now it seems so obvious, again thanks to the transparency of the reading, which reveals a number of staccato semiquaver runs in the violins that have literal parallels in the Third. Boulez is helped tremendously by the superb playing of the VPO (though the vulnerable, plaintive sound of their oboes may not be to everybody's taste), and even more by his excellent singers. Michael Schade succeeds better than almost any of his predecessors I've heard in making the most of his three songs and not paling completely besides the alto, who gets to sing all the more profound pieces and is given rather more 'air-time' to do so. And to be sure, Violeta Urmana is a singer that easily makes others pale beside her. Her achievements yield nothing to those of Ludwig or Baker, and in some ways even surpass them. She has the kind of voice that blends ideally with the orchestral sounds, so that the result is a true symphony rather than a song cycle with orchestral accompaniment. The recording enhances this effect by not placing the solo voices too far forward. In all other respects too the recorded sound is state-of-the-art. In all, this disc offers a deeply enriching experience. Its only imperfection I can think of is the tempo of the second movement, which simply is too fast, not at all 'schleichend' or 'ermüdet'. But the result is still extremely beautiful. This is now definitely my favorite recording of Das Lied, though I will keep cherishing the classic Haitink/King/Baker and the Giulini/Araiza/Fassbaender versions alongside it.

This is a remarkable recording of Das Lied von der Erde in what is a crowded field. The Vienna Philharmonic is recorded with astonishing clarity; it was like hearing this work for the first time. Pierre Boulez brings a lot of thought to Mahler. The singers may not be familiar names but are well suited to Das Lied. Violeta Urmana is simply wonderful and brings considerable emotion to her songs. One may hold Kathleen Ferrier as the ultimate interpreter of Das Lied but I have found her contralto voice a bit heavy. I think Ms. Urmana, a mezzo-soprano, has an ideal voice and is expressive with the emotionally charged Der Abschied.

Michael Schade is likewise excellent. His voice resembles Julius Patzak, who sang Das Lied with Ferrier under Bruno Walter. One may quibble about the emphasis Mr. Schade gives to some of the vocal lines in Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde but I think he is unmatched in the remaining songs for tenor: Von der Jugend and Der Trunkene im Fruhling.

Altogether, a fabulous CD that lovers of Das Lied von der Erde will not want to be without.

Boulez' Mahler cycle on DG continues with "Das Lied von der Erde". As with previous recordings in the series, this one is marked by a remarkable clarity in the orchestral playing. In this recording, you hear every detail in the score, and all of it is played wonderfully and idiomatically by the VPO. Boulez is also concerned with overall pacing and proportion, refusing to indulge in rubato, dramatic pauses, and so on, except for the minimum required by Mahler's indications in the score. The overall effect is sometimes refreshing, but also sometimes rather clinical. Most of these Mahler recordings are therefore fascinating, but not necessarily recommended as your first recording of a given symphony.

What elevates this recording above most of the other entries in Boulez' Mahler cycle, and over most of the competition, is the contribution by Violeta Urmana. A "Lied von der Erde" recording lives or dies by its last movement, "Abschied", and this is one of the best on record.

Overall, a very strong recording, but misses the warmth and otherworldly beauty of Walter/Ferrier.

Whether or not this is the way in which Das Lied von der Erde 'should' be played in the first place, I don't know. Mahler didn't know it either, but what he DID know for sure was that if this music be performed really, really well, wouldn't the only alternative be to just... end one's own life? Well, that can't be the case for this (or any) recording, but I really love this interpretation.
I have always thought that Mahler should mainly be played in a 'natural' kind of way without stressing too much any possible 'meanings' 'behind' the notes, without too much 'hineininterpretieren'. With 'natural' I perhaps also mean that any performance of this (and any piece of music) should sound 'fresh' and 'honest'. But, well, in the end it really is a matter of taste... But at the same time we do of course need different interpretations of the same work, with every conductor stressing new details and maybe bringing new (and hopefully profound) insights into the music - this is what music needs for it to stay 'alive' and ever renewing. For example, while I think Haitink's 1982 Mahler 7 is simply great, I also love Sir Simon Rattle's rather idiosyncratic Mahler 7.
The same goes for Das Lied von der Erde: there are of course no better places to immerse yourself in this unique 'world' created Mahler than the great recordings of Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer et al. who have proven their status as classics.
This recording by Boulez could hardly be called a classic (yet), but I must confess I do indeed very much like Pierre Boulez' interpretations of Mahler, although Boulez also seems to generally stress one particular aspect of Mahler, namely 'Mahler the renewer and modernist'. Nevertheless, IMHO Boulez' viewpoint is ligitimate and does add new insights into the music. His vision is just as legitimate as any other. Especially so here, in this performance of Das Lied von der Erde, where every instrumental voice is given pride of place beside all other instruments. As a result, and under the intelligent supervision of Pierre Boulez, the many colorful layers of this extremely polychrome and expressionistic music are laid bare in a magnificently convincing way, helped of course by the incredibly precise and incisive playing of the Vienna Philharmonic. Both Michael Schade and Violetta Urmana, both with very clear voices and with light and fresh timbres, fit wonderfully in this soundpicture. (And about 'lighter', more 'lyrical' voices, who would, in his right mind, contest the truth and legitimacy of a voice like Peter Schreier's in this repertoire?!)
Some may find this performance under Boulez too 'distant', being the result of a 'coldly dissecting' intellect. But this performance can also be explained as an honest and utterly artistic attempt (succeeded, in my view!) by all involved to bring out from underneath a layer of accumulated performance traditions (Boulez hates tradition) music which we can enjoy and love as if it were being performed and created for the first time. Not at all a 'coolly distant' performance, but rather fresh and full of (new) life. An artistic achievement of the highest order, this magnificent album. (This is of course my own, rather personal view, but as such, this evaluation of mine could be helpful to anyone to form or refine their own opinion about this recording!)

I suspect that this will be a controversial release that some critics will praise and others will damn. It certainly sounds different. My two favorite recordings have been those by Klemperer on EMI for its color, drama, and sense of inevitable "rightness," and that by Oue on Reference recordings for its rich sonic tapestry. This new version by Boulez and his Viennese forces sounds thinner but also more transaprent than either of these two releases; the music overall has more of a chamber-music feel to it. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it will make this a controversial release. Once again, Boulez is able to bring out every little strand of a score, not by exaggeration, but rather by careful attention to balance and order.

Although my first recommendation for this supremely beautiful score remains the Klemperer, I recommend this new DG release without reservation even to those who already own the Klemperer, or the Oue, because Boulez offers a fascinatingly different account of this music that will give Mahler fans a deeper appreciation of Mahler's incomparable art.

Everything that's great about this recording has already been said, and very well at that. My reason for adding a review is merely to help offset the poorer rankings from other reviewers. I don't think they're deserved.

From the start, with the heralding of the Horns and the tenor's burst into the higher registers, this performance is arresting and quite satisfying. I am especially pleased with "Von der Jugend," taken at just the right tempo with beautiful, lilting, carefree lines in the woodwinds. Schade is indeed up to the task. His abilities in the upper register are passionate and note-perfect. Urmana's lovely singing is equal to Schade's.

Boulez has put out many tremendous recordings of Mahler's other masterpieces. He does it again with this one.

Wienna plays suberbly, Boulez isnt att all cold... instead he and Wienna has a perfect mix of Mahlers modernism AND strong emotions here and Violetta Urmana is fantasic.

Sound is great and this must be first choice (modern record) of this beutiful song symhonie. Sound is crystal and for me Boulez, Chailly, Salonen and Abbado conducts Mahler extremly well and personal.

Intresting reading from one of the biggest Mahler expert Henry-Louise de La Grange follow in booklet and so does songtexts in german, french and english.

For me this is absolutly the best version out there.

I admire some of Boulez's Mahler recordings, but in this case his cool, analytical approach sinks Mahler's greatest romantic work. To remain aloof in Das Lied is as lethal as remaining aloof in Tristan or Parsifal. Mahler invites us into a world that Boulez dissects from afar.

His tenor soloist plainly has half the voice needed, and although Violetta Urmana is an exciting Russian newcomer (originally Lithuanian), her grasp of Mahler style falls far short of Jaent Baker, Kathleen Ferrier, and Christa Ludwig, whose recordings of Das Lied are glories of the record catalog. At bsst, Boulez offers an intriguing alternative, for those who don't want Mahler to be too exciting.

Technically, this is one of the most balanced and rhythmically astute Das Lieds I've ever heard. The vertically complicated rhythms of Der Abschied are perfectly realized (for the most part - the famous harp and mandolin entrance with flutes is not clear), the instrumental balances and dynamic details in instrumental doubling are keenly observed (i.e., flute 1 and clainet 1 two measures before no. 55 in Der Abschied - solo violin and piccolo three measures before no. 7 in Von der Schonheit - Universal Edition - two of many examples). The balance between singers and orchestra is exemplary (even if the strings sound reduced). Sound-wise the voices are pleasing (especially Urmana's), but often too closely miked (is there a piano dynamic in the vocal part in the last song?). Michael Schade lacks anguish in his voice. He manages the upper ranges well enough without much strain, but he is hardly a drunkard in spring. The playing of the Vienna Philharmonic is excellent (wonderful flute and oboe solos). The recorded sound is vivid.

Unfortunately, the total effect of the recording is one of a young, technically gifted violinist, with perfect intonation and wonderful tone, who demonstrates a troubling lack of interpretive skills.

With a musical concept to go on, the singers might have sounded more inspired. If only Boulez could read between the notes on the page, between sections of music, between an 'a tempo' leading to 'Rit.' leading to 'Riten molto'. Musically preparing for anything in a musical context is something Boulez won't do, except possibly in deference to decades of tradition. Breathing between notes, phrases, even movements, means interpretation - a musical idea alien to Boulez.

On various occasions the singers seemed straight-jacketed into a musical texture. For example, in Der Aschied, at no. 62, the only thing I felt of upmost importance was Urmana's entrance on the third beat against the 'fours' in the harp and violas - not the notion of 'distant horizons gleam blue: forever... forever...' I suppose for some it is enough that the words say so (and I do not necessarily mean Urmana).

In spite of the terrific orchestral playing, the piece just 'isn't there'.