Mahler: Lieder

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Pierre Boulez (Conductor), Wiener Philharmoniker (Orchestra), Thomas Quasthoff (Performer), Violeta Urmana (Performer), Anne Sofie von Otter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Thomas Quasthoff, Violeta Urmana, Anne Sofie von Otter
• Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
• Conductor: Pierre Boulez
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (January 11, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0006M4RPG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,843 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

These songs reveal Mahler, that frankly autobiographical composer, at his emotionally most personal. For the Songs of a Wayfarer, the earliest cycle (later extensively revised), the poetry--a sorrowful tale of unrequited young love--is Mahler's own. The music is simple, lyrical, and deeply moving, going from inward grief through suicidal anguish to calm resignation. (Two of the themes reappear in the First Symphony.) In Kindertotenlieder, the poet Friedrich Rückert laments the loss of his children, a tragedy he knew from personal experience. Mahler, however, began composing the music before he became a father; two years after he'd completed it, his older daughter died. The cycle contains some of the most harrowing, wrenching songs in the literature. By contrast, the five other Rückert songs radiate a serene happiness that is like a breath of fresh air. The performances on this disc are breathtaking. Quasthoff's voice seems to become more and more beautiful; pure, velvety and warm, it has an endless range of dynamics, nuances and inflections. He draws the listener in from the first moment. Urmana gives the Rückert songs just the right sunny lightness, soaring up in long, sustained, caressing phrases; she keeps the last song, "Um Mitternacht," from becoming bombastic. Although the Kindertotenlieder are really a bereaved father's lament, von Otter makes them totally convincing. Her voice is dark, intense, and luminous. As for the orchestra, Boulez inspires masterful precision and impeccable balance, letting every line stand out. He turns Mahler's incomparable instrumentation into a tapestry of blazing, glittering colors, unleashing both inward and outward tempests. This record will leave you overwhelmed and heartbroken. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rapturous,diaphanous Mahler Lieder, February 1, 2005

By 

THE BLUEMAHLER "THE BLUEMAHLER" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Lieder (Audio CD)

In his recordings of various artists' song cycles,Boulez,it seems,often has been inspired to producing some of his most profound performances.

His classic recordings of the little performed songs of Ravel, Schoenberg, and Berg still remain the yardstick by which all others are measured.

Now, comes his arrival of three Mahler lieder and the results are something to celebrate.

Indeed, this may prove to be his best Mahler yet.

In the Ruckert Lieder, Boulez coaxes both the Viennal Players and Violeta Urmana into producing sensuous sounds and colors which could come straight out the most transparent Klimt paintings.

It's my personal favorite of the three, but that opinion is already biased, as I have a definite soft spot for this piece.

Thomas Quasthoff is appropriately noble in the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Anne-Sofie von Otter has arguably never been more profund than in the Kindentotenlieder found here.

Boulez proves here that he's far more than 'just' a musical intellect, he also has acute rythmic instinct.

Each singer is perfectly cast, the sound is superb and Boulez's conducting is among his most crystal clear and lucid to date.

Like his other songcycles, this should prove to be a genuine 'classic'.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three of Mahler's Song Cycles, Three Artists, One Conductor, June 27, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahler: Lieder (Audio CD)

Pierre Boulez, now in his eighties, has become not only a master of orchestral score clarity: Boulez has also become a poet of the Romantic repertoire. The three beloved song cycles of Gustav Mahler here performed are among Mahler's most tender statements and Boulez allows all of the beauty and anguish to flow unfettered under his leadership.

The brilliant Thomas Quasthoff offers one of the most exquisitely sung 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' ever recorded. His voice is lush and rich and seamless and he maintains his high level of musicality while becoming utterly absorbed in the poetry of the lyrics. The result is ravishingly beautiful.

Violeta Urmana follows him singing the 'Ruckert Lieder' with somewhat of a light voice until she reaches the 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' when she settles into not only a lovely vocal bloom but a sense of emotional commitment. She continues this mood through the final 'Um Mitternacht'.

And then the stage belongs to Anne Sofie von Otter for 'Kindertotenlieder'. With Boulez she creates magic out of these mournful songs. This is one of the best performances we're likely to hear for a while.

In the end it is to Boulez' credit that he selected the soloists and placed the order of songs and of course conducts the entire ensemble (the Vienna Philharmonic is the orchestra) with expressive brio. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, June 05

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A matter of completion, October 6, 2005

By 

J. C. Woods "silvannus" (Malden, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Lieder (Audio CD)

I have a personal reason for liking this CD. Anne-Sofie von Otter, when she did her previous CD of Mahler Lieder with John Eliot Gardiner in 1996, omitted the Kindertotenlieder (I assume she had children at the time who have subsequently grown up). Now, besides Quasthoff singing the Songs of a Wayfarer and Violeta Urmana singing the Ruckert-lieder (both beautifully)we have finally got Anne-Sofie singing the Kindertotenlieder and recordings of Anne-Sofie singing the three major Mahlerian Lieder Cycles. All is crisply conducted by Boulez and a special joy!