Mahler: Symphony No. 1

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GAC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,417 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much-admired, though I find it uneven, June 3, 2004

By 

Kenji Fujishima (East Brunswick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Audio CD)

This, Leonard Bernstein's second official recording of Mahler's witty First Symphony, has often been called a reference edition by many, but I've always thought that the whole was better than the sum of its parts. The first and fourth movements as performed here are indeed tremendous. In the former, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (exquisite all throughout) help bring Mahler's burgeoning spring to vivid life, and its conclusion is powerfully joyful. In the latter, Bernstein lets rip with his typically acute sense of drama, with every expressive nuance conveyed, and the coda never fails to exhilarate.

That may be enough for some listeners to agree with the hype surrounding this recording. Still, for me, the inner movements have always been problematic, interpretation-wise. I've never been convinced by Bernstein's reading of the second movement Landler, just too slow and heavy-footed for my taste. And as for the third movement... This is one of Mahler's wittiest creations, a parodistic funeral march to the tune of "Frere Jacques," with elements of a Jewish cafe band thrown into the mix, as well as a beautiful pastoral section in the middle of it all. In this performance, Bernstein decides on an opening tempo for this movement that hardly suggests a funeral march at all, and while I recognize his attempt to accentuate the parody element that Mahler calls for, the fast tempo kinda destroys what is so witty and delightful about the movement in the first place. Other readings---Kubelik's, for example, in his 1968 DG recording---are more subtle with the humor of this third movement, and thus much closer to Mahler's intentions.

Ok, so the second & third movements don't quite convince---but since the performances of the first & fourth movements here are so good, I think this oft-acclaimed Bernstein reading of Mahler's First Symphony is worthy of the four stars I'm giving it here. I still find it uneven, but even the unsuccessful elements are not necessarily without reason. Maybe you just have to get used to them.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An electrifying Mahler 1, November 12, 2000

By 

Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Audio CD)

Bernstein's recording of Mahler's 1st and most easily-accessible symphony is one of the best recordings available today. Though Bernstein was in the twilight of his career, especially with idiyosyncratic performances of core works, his affinity with this symphony shines perfectly here. This time he has the charges of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, who play as if they have the music in their blood, having recorded this work twice with Haitink for Philips during the stereo era, and the DG recording is excellent on every level, with every minute detail keenly captured and a sense of atmosphere well-felt.

From the first bars of Wagnerian spaciousness, one is totally spellbound by the music-making. Bernstein cunjores up the atmosphere of an early morning in natural surroundings, with far-off fanfares and bird-calls well-brought out. The tempo quickens with the sonata-form allegro section, which is extremely sunny, and depicts the wayferer's early-morning walk well. The Scherzo sounds extremely rustic, and the landler middle section sounds neatly charming. The gaitey of the first two movements are abruptly halted by the third movement, which has never sounded more menacing or foreboding, and the funerial march parody is enough to shock many a liatener at the world-premiere. But in the finale, Bernstein really lets all hell break loose for the stormy, fierce, tempestuous primary theme, but makes the secondary theme wildy romantic. The frission-raising coda crowns the performance, and a hair-raising performance of this work at the same time

Overall, if there was one CD of Mahler's 1st symphony that you should buy, this should be a clear first-choice. It deserves more than the customary three stars from the Penguin Guide, but a Rosette as well.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bernstein's Definitive Account Of Mahler's 1st Symphony, December 18, 2001

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Audio CD)

This is one of the finest recordings I own of Mahler's first symphony; not only is the sound quality superb, but the performance itself is simply stunning. Bernstein leads the Concertgebouw Orchestra in an exhilirating performance of Mahler's most accessible symphony. I am simply amazed by the brilliant warm playing from the Concertgebouw's string, wind and horn sections, though the brass sound terrific too. Critics contend that Bernstein's conducting was "mannered" towards the end of the career, but with respect to Mahler, Bernstein always followed his instructions with absolute fidelity. Hence, this performance more closely adheres to Mahler's intentions for the score than many other celebrated accounts. The sound is enhanced by the warm, atmospheric accoustics of the Concertgebouw Hall, and is as vivid as any studio recording. Those in search of a definitive performance of Mahler's 1st Symphony should look no further.