Customer Reviews

Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde / The Song of the Earth

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this recording, too, but not so much for Mildred Miller (like the other reviewer) as for Ernst Haefliger, my favorite tenor. The opening song is incredibly difficult, as the singer has to make himself heard against a soaring orchestra. Just listen to Haefliger convey the passion and desperation. And then there's the wonderful song of the Drunkard in Spring, where he shows his delicacy and humor. Great, great singer, and a wonderful recording all around.

Bruno Walter's close personal and professional relationship to Gustav Mahler in the final years of the composer's life adds interest to any Walter performance of a Mahler work, and especially of Das Lied von der Erde with which Walter is so closely identified.

David Hurwitz's is right, in his review for Amazon.com, that this, Walter's final recording of Das Lied, is the one to own, chiefly because of the superior performances by the vocal soloists. However, instead of just panning the performance by Kathleen Ferrier in the earlier Vienna Philharmonic recording, Hurwitz might given credit by name to the artist who surpassed her, Mildred Miller. Her performance on this recording, made in the maturity of Miller's career, is notable not only for the richness and beauty of her voice, but for her sensitivity to the text of the German translations of the classical Chinese poems of the Tang Dynasty that comprise Das Lied's libretto.

Unfortunately, no libretto is included with this recording. You can enhance your enjoyment of this fine performance by downloading one, in German and English, from www.recmusic.org/lieder/v/various/erde.html.

David Hurwitz delivers one of his typical comic performances by trashing Walter's legendary Das Lied (mono, Decca) with Julius Parzak and Kathleen Ferrier, one of the classics of recorded sound, while preferring this dodgy stereo remake. Certainly there are great things here. Walter wasn't always vigorous in old age, but in the opening tenor song he is full of vigor and insight, and the NY Phil. plays with total conviction. In addition, the Swiss tenor Ernst Haefliger, never a thrill to hear, does quite a good job, giving us a surprisingly full tone and confident phrasing--a far cry from the strained yelling so often heard. The stereo sound from 1958 is clear and warm, too, especially in the new "Great Performances" remastering.

What starts off so well doesn't stay that way, however. The conducting never flags, but Walter made an unfortunate choice in the now-forgotten Mildred Miller. The mezzo, alto, or baritone who sings Mahler's great half-hour final song, Der Abschied, must rise to heights of expression, passion, and musicianship. Ferrier, Christa Ludwig, and Janet Baker do just that, while Miller is merely good, assuming you like her somewhat quavery light voice. For those of us who cherish Walter's Mahler, this CD remains a must-listen, even though more than half the work is sung by an artist of medium caliber.

The soloists are fine - Miller is aptly sensitive even if she is not as well-endowed vocally as Dame Janet Baker. The New York Philhamonic has never - repeat, NEVER - sounded better. And Walter, he conducts this work as if it would be the last thing he would ever conduct (and, indeed, it was one of his last recordings). You'll never hear a more emotive version - rich, achingly sad, searching, singing. This performance alone proves that Walter truly was one of the great Mahler conductors, lest anyone thought otherwise. Don't forget the Kleenex!

Here is a recording many of us take for granted. Bruno Walter had the nearly life-long association with Mahler and was seen as first-hand expert of sorts. Walter's more famous recording with the Vienna Philharmonic, Julius Patzak and the great Kathleen Ferrier has long been regarded as his greatest. Personally, I find Ferrier's voice very worn sounding on that recording. She and Patzak have many wonderfully expressive moments, but I don't find I enjoy the recording on a vocal level. As for the conducting, Walter really was, in my opinion, unsurpassed in this work, and we can be grateful that he recorded it again in stereo. I don't detect a lessening of energy or drama in 1960, and the superior stereo recording has tremendous dynamic range and amazing detail (mandolin, celesta and growling trombones in Der Abschied!). No one will likely say that Mildred Miller was one of the great singers, but she is far more than merely adequate and she has a gift for the world-weary sensibility of this music. Ernst Haefliger is widely seen as a good match for DAS LIED and indeed he does shine here, fully meeting the rigorous demands of the first song, while possessing the lyricism needed for songs 3 and 5. I was led to re-hear this performance after reading Lewis Smoley's comments on it in his 1986 Mahler discography. Smoley's opinions only rarely coincide with my own (for example, he trashes the Klemperer studio recording of Mahler 9, a recording I consider among the greatest of that work). As for DAS LIED, Smoley has a lot say about all recordings up until 1986, and he considers this one to be the best. I don't like choosing only one recording as the best of any work, but I agree that this one is among the top contenders.

As a lover of Mahler, I think Das Lied von der Erde has to be one of his best compositions. The depth and absolute stunning beauty comes from the simplicity of the work itself. When paired with Bruno Walter and Mildred Miller, the work takes on a whole new life. Walter finds and richly conveys the sadness and aching in the work, which then is brought out by Mildred Miller's passionate mezzo. I prefer her voice to other notable soloists of the work (namely Dame Janet Baker) because she actually feels the melancholia of the piece, instead of just singing from a well-trained place, like Janet Baker's lackluster voice does. In all, I would highly recommend this recording over others of Das Lied because it appeals to you as a listener, not as a musicologist.

Bruno Walter is often given top choice in "Das Lied" because he conducted the world premiere. Yet Mahler, on his deathbed, ostensibly told Otto Klemperer that it would be better if Mengelberg conducted the first performance. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with Walter's Mahler. It is too smooth, too polite, not richly detailed enough. Also, of the two singers here, only Hafliger (an enormously underrated tenor) fulfills his duties well; Mildred Miller was a routine "house" mezzo, satisfying in a "well-she's-not-that-bad" kind of way but no match for Janet Baker, Kerstin Thorborg or Christa Ludwig.

The best stereo "Das Lied" is unfortunately unavailable, the Giulini-Araiza-Fassbaender recording on DG. Klemperer is slow, but still better than Walter. But if you really love this music, and want the best PERFORMANCE of it, check out the Carl Schuricht recording. This is the one that made the hairs stand up on my neck--exciting, emotional, and detailed in a Mengelbergian way.

A good "Song" but who can say that it's better than Ferrie's with Walter again and the VPO? The sound also is not of first class.