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44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Recordings, December 13, 2004
This review is from: Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (Audio CD)
Unlike many of the people who have weighed in on this set, I absolutely love these recordings. Unlike most who review on this site, I have actually performed many of these works (my being a classical violist). I know these symphonies like the back of my hand. Solti's interpretation is masterful in every aspect, he in fact, is the only conductor who has ever made the Rondo-Finale of the symphony no. 5 make sense as a cohesive movement. The CSO plays absolutely brilliantly, as always, so there is nothing to criticize there. I just think that most who listen to these recordings have been caught up in the over-dramaticized versions recorded by Bernstein, not to say that his recordings don't also have merit. To any one looking for a complete Mahler set, I recommend this one above any other.
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58 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the Best, Skip the Rest, July 16, 2002
This review is from: Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (Audio CD)
This set is not really worth buying, but if only someone would release a set combining Solti's *first* recording of every Mahler symphony, that would be a very competitive set. I've never held with the idea that Solti was too "brutal" for Mahler -- first of all, he's not much more brutal than Bernstein or anyone else, and second, Mahler *is* brutal. But you'll get a better picture of Solti as a Mahlerian if you buy his best Mahler performances individually and skip the dull digital remakes that infest this Chicago set. The best Mahler performances Solti recorded in Chicago are: the eighth, which is available separately on an excellent single-disc rematering; the sixth, a great performance, available (from England and elsewhere) on a single disc; and the fifth, which is available on a twofer (from England and Canada and France) coupled with Solti's first Mahler recording, a fine and beautifully recorded 4th with the Concertgebouw that beats the pants off the terrible Chicago remake with Te Kanawa. Also available from England and Canada is a twofer with Solti's fine London Symphony Orchestra performances of the first and second symphonies; not only are these better than the Chicago remakes, they have better sound too (Decca engineers never could get a really good sound out of Chicago halls, which is one of the reasons why the 8th was recorded in Vienna). Finally, Solti's excellent 9th with the London Symphony has never even been on CD; one hopes that will be rectified someday. In short, don't go for the big box. If you want Solti in Mahler, get his best recordings individually, and skip the pointless remakes.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overall, very good., December 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (Audio CD)
Let me start off by saying the playing on this set is nothing short of phenomenal. The ensemble and quality of performance is far higher in general than any other set out there, including Bernstien's, Inbal's, and Haitnik's. There are some downsides, however. Solti's interpetations can be a little shallow at times. The only symphony he really misses the mark on is the third, where despite amazing work from the orchestra, the conductor seems to be on the warpath, stopping for nothing. The result is very colorless and unfeeling. The other symphonies, however, are very well done. Don't let these versions be your only hearings of these works, but you won't be let down by them either.
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