Mahler: Symphony No. 7 / Kindertotenlieder ~ Sinopoli / Terfel [Import]

Bryn Terfel (Artist), Gustav Mahler (Composer), Sinopoli (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra
• Conductor: Sinopoli
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (April 1, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon Imports
• ASIN: B000025JJ8
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,374 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Symphony No. 7 in E minor ('Song of the Night'): 1. Langsam (Adagio) - Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo

2. Symphony No. 7 in E minor ('Song of the Night'): 2. Nachtmusik. Allegro moderato

3. Symphony No. 7 in E minor ('Song of the Night'): 3. Scherzo. Schattenhaft

Disc: 2

1. Symphony No. 7 in E minor ('Song of the Night'): 4. Nachtmusik. Andante amoroso

2. Symphony No. 7 in E minor ('Song of the Night'): 5. Rondo-Finale. Tempo 1 (Allegro ordinario) - Tempo 2 (Allegro moderato ma energico

3. Kindertotenlieder, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra): 1. Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgehn

4. Kindertotenlieder, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra): 2. Nuhn seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen

5. Kindertotenlieder, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra): 3. Wenn dein Mütterlein

6. Kindertotenlieder, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra): 4. Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen

7. Kindertotenlieder, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra): 5. In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Realized Mahler 7 Plus Kindertotenlieder, March 6, 2006

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Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 / Kindertotenlieder ~ Sinopoli / Terfel (Audio CD)

This recording of Mahler's enigmatic but eminently beautiful Symphony No. 7, often subtitled Song of the Night because of the Nachtmusik movements with Mahler's loving use of cow bells in the scoring, is one of Giuseppi Sinopoli's finest Mahler readings. Conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra he offers as strong a sense of architecture to the difficult first movement that often eludes conductors, so polar is its range from the longing 'Langsam' to the near bombastic 'Allegro risoluto', back and forth in a strange manner. But Sinopoli makes is work. The symphony is as long as the far more familiar No. 9 but seldom is performed in concert halls. If more Mahler lovers could hear how much Sinopoli gives this work, that paucity of performances would probably be reversed.

But an additional reason for adding this Mahler disc to the library is the poignant, beautifully sung and communicated 'Kindertotenlieder' by Bryn Terfel. Known for his rich baritone voice and his brilliant sense of communication, Terfel takes these songs of death to another plane and in the ears of this listener his interpretation is one of the more successful on record. Sinopoli offers very sympathetic accompaniment. A fine combination of works for a CD set and well worth attention. Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Seventh is fine, the Kindertotenlieder is great, October 15, 2006

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 / Kindertotenlieder ~ Sinopoli / Terfel (Audio CD)

Among big-name conductors, the also-rans in their Mahler cycles are Haitink and Sinopoli. Haitink feels too calm and measured to really capture Mahler's wild mood swings, but the case against Sinopoli--in the minds of critics, at least--is harder to pin down. The Philharmonia isn't quite first rate; although they play well, they don't dazzle the way Berlin and Vienna do. DG's digital sound from 1992 is somewhat coarse and unfocused. A lot of inner detail is muffled in hall reverberation.

But that's not enough to put a Mahler cycle in the shadows. I think the decisive factor is Sinopoli's attempts to be original in his phrasing and balances. His Mahler sounds a bit 'off,' the way Maazel's does. But when he's on, Sinopoli is one of a kind, and in this reading of the Sym. #7 he's definitely on. It's a meausred performance at 87 min., unable to fit on a single disc the way Bernstein and Abbado do. The extra minutes are mostly added in the first movement, where Sinopoli goes for careful shaping and measured emotional impact. He's a born musician, and his ideas throughout are very appealing. However, the Scherzo and the two Nachtmusiks could be more sharply etched--they all tend to blend together. The finale exhibits wide swings of mood and tempo; at its best it's like the hair-raising romp we get from Bernstein, only less sharply defined.

The real attraction here is the filler, a 1992 reading of Kindertotenlieder with the richly emotional Bryn Terfel. Although the poems are written for a man, this song cycle tends to be the province of mezzos (Ferrier, Ludwig, Baker) rahter than baritones. I haven't heard a really outstanding one since Fischer-Dieskau on EMI--the Hampson version with Bernstein on DG is very good but more for the conducting than for the singer's interpretation. In any event, this fervent, intense account from Terfel is outstanding, and even if you own Sevenths you prefer to Sinopoli's, you might want to buy this bargain two-fer on the used market just for the Kindertotenlieder. My only caveat is that the dynamic range is so wide that Terfel's voice can be domineering in loud passages and barely audible in the softest ones.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spacious, detailed accounts - with an attractive Terfel bonus, May 28, 2010

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Ralph Moore "Ralph operaphile" (Bishop's Stortford, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 / Kindertotenlieder ~ Sinopoli / Terfel (Audio CD)

This bargain DG reissue is, along with his "Symphony of a Thousand", the best of Sinopoli's Mahler cycle. The sound is very good and the Philharmonia are here in the process under Sinopoli of recovering lost form to play warmly and responsively. His is a spacious, detailed account, always musically justified even when he takes risks with exceptionally etiolated tempi. Dynamics are quite extreme and occasionally I found myself fiddling with the volume control to hear all that detail and avoid ear-blast. The last movement is as rumbustious and life-affirming as Bernstein's, seeming less concerned to draw out the shadows and more inclined to celebrate courage over adversity. To me, Sinopoli has the measure of this odd and disparate work; the performance hangs together convincingly and has the right kind of haunting, hallucinatory quality in the Nachtmusik sections and the Scherzo.

"Kindertotenlieder" is my least favourite Mahler song cycle; unsurprisingly, given the subject matter, I find it unremittingly dour, without the melodic invention and variety of his other Lieder. However, Bryn Terfel brings his magnificent voice in its full youthful vigour, in combination with his keen emotional intelligence to provide the best possible advocacy for these grim songs sung by a baritone, his intensity sensitively seconded by Sinopoli's subtle phrasing, employing, much rubato and telling emphases without losing the shape. I am particularly impressed by Terfel's frequent willingness to use his beautiful falsetto and mezza voce as well the obvious power in reserve. The Philharmonia oboist and principal horn are especially fine.

A splendid double album, showcasing all the artists concerned at their best.