Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 / Kindertotenlieder

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4 star:		(2)
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Here is Michael Tilson Thomas, aka Tomascevski, leading the San Francisco Symphony in their third installment of an ongoing project that will conclude with them recording all of the Mahler Symphonies in super audio/hybrid CD discs. First off, the orchestra is on fine form here, managing to muster more presence or at least slightly better use of their musical presence (compared to the lovely, but at times underpowered Second symphony, led by Blomstedt) to do this large, sprawling work. Don't look up there! Mahler cautioned Bruno Walter when he came for a visit in the mountainous countryside of rural Austria. I've already composed all of it! That said, it is difficult for any single recording to capture all the varied dimensions and emphases that Mahler seems to have written into this music. It is dramatic, without question, but then the drama is suddenly interrupted by poignant and wistful posthorn solos that seem to echo out into the upper reaches, and return from other realms. There are times when Summer Marches In, primarily to terrify you with the Panic that signals the ancient presence of the unruly god, Pan, arrived in our midst at bright glaring noonday. In the latter movements, Mahler adds an alto singing Nietsche's poetry, followed by a raucous and chiming boychoir to make bell sounds that again seem to suggest towering mountains whose echoes ring with silvery brightness. My favorite Mahler Third is actually out of print now. It is the wonderful, late-in-life recording conducted by the much neglected Jascha Horenstein. He seems to get everything just exactly right, and yet his sound - though very good for its day - must yield to this unbelievably vivid and subtle DSD recording. Since I already own the Horenstein, I enjoyed adding this performance to the shelf. Having sat in Davies Hall where the orchestra plays, and where this set was recorded, I can only say that you are put right there. Some of that uncanny quality must derive form the fact that these are mixed from a series of live performances in the hall. But super audio does its part too. The multichannel sound is not brash, nor need it be played over loud to make its effects. Nevertheless, if you can hear this in super audio, another dimension of sonic reality opens up, all in your very own home. The alto is Michelle DeYoung. She sings handsomely, though perhaps without the extra bit of gravitas that Janet Baker or Christa Ludwig could bring to the lyrics. Also, quite nicely she fills out the set by doing the Kindertotenlieder cycle, a worthy companion that plumbs the depths, as does the symphony. The famous Adagietto is completely convincing. And you may find yourself wanting a repeat of it, just punch the replay button. Highly recommended.

Having heard some 20 different interpretations of this piece, both live and recorded, I must say this is one of my favorites. It's strongest asset is the beautifully homogenous sound of the orchestra, and of the brass section in particular, who never cease to amaze me with their keen sense of balance concerning blend, edge, volume, and timbre. Tilson-Thomas's interpretation is very convincing in spite of being overly-broad at times. I think he might actually hold a record for the longest 1st movement on disc, but nothing ever comes off as clunky. Every detail is very-well thought out and executed as intended. I was a bit dissapointed in the trombone solo myself. I thought it was uninspired and lacked staying power, but not being a trombone player, perhaps I can't really appreciate this rendition's subtleties. In short, you can't really go wrong with this perfomance. It's got a great orchestra, a great conductor, and is well-recorded. Based on this and his 1st and 6th symphonies, I'm looking forward to Tilson-Thomas's future Mahler recordings as well.

Mahler listeners will note that Tilson Thomas recorded this symphony with the London Symphony orchestra about 10 years ago. If it's in your budget, I would recommend getting this recording and his previous recording as they are diferent in many ways, both being better than the Horenstein recording. Tilson Thomas is much more reserved here than his previous recording, however, the epic grandeur of the third symphony is still just a powerful and magnificent. The San Francisco symphony has a somewhat bright overall tone, a little brighter than the London Symphony. What makes this recording great is the quality of sound, the superb soloists both on the posthorn and mezzo-soprano. This is also Maler's symphony that focuses on the woodwind secton the most and the SF Symphony woodwinds really push themselves to places I've never heard them before.
Michelle DeYoung is indeed a fantastic and intuitive Mahler interpreter with a deep and lovely voice. Mahler's gut-wrenchingly mournful and innocent Kindetotenlieder are also very beautifully performed and conducted. The only compeptition that I think this album will have for best classical album next year is perhaps Tilson Thomas' recording of the first symphony with the SFS. Highly recommended!

As a conservatory student who tries to immerse himself in different recordings for his education and who is poor because of it, I recommend this recording as a keeper. As Mahler's largest and most intricate work, it is difficult to wrap your head around overall interpretation and presentation. As I am not a Mahler guru nor a fanatic about "the right one" I can't honestly give an accurate description of what Thomas does. the other recordings of the Third that I've listened to is the LA Phil recording(90s), one of the numerous CSO recordings(70s), Seiji Ozawa and Boston Symphony, and MTT's earlier recording with London Phil. I like the overall feel of individual movements in this new SFS installment better than any other, but what this CD lacks is a good sense of continuity throughout the entire work. That's not saying the playing by the musicians is bad, because it's not. I think that MTT could have wrapped the package alot better, and it is something his LSO recording also lacks for this piece. This is the only time I have felt this way about his conducting as his Mahler 6 and 1 are peerless asofar to my aural experience. This is my only real complaint about this CD, which is dwarfed by the good things that have been captured in this live recording.
The quality of the players' playing is without par. The opening horn line in the first movement is always a scary line to play for section blend and combined intent without the principal pushing the section too far(old CSO recordings reveal this, as it's more of Klevenger driving a MAC truck while everyone is trying to catch up) and still coming off as menacing as the mountains in the Alps. The SFS horn section in this recording has produced the most consistent sound, musical phrasing, consistent articulation throughout the section, and an excellent balance of the lower octave(later in the first movement) with the upper octave. The sound of these nine horns do not waver in intonation whatsoever throughout the line. It's absolutely incredible! David Krehbiel returns to record with SFS(as he played assistant in Mahler 1) playing in the lower horn quartet and really helps fill out the section.
The posthorn solo is fantastic and has some of the most effortless playing by Glenn Fischthal. Who would have guessed that this solo turned out to be one of the scariest solos in the repertoire, even though it's off stage. His muscianship really shines through the fear factors of this solo. The high A rings beautifully and leaves you wanting more(and of course there is more solo)!
The trombone solo in the first movement can also be one of the most stressful solos on a principal trombonist and for the sole reason that it is a trombone solo(don't get those very much) and it's a long solo that stretches over the entire movement and has different colors and moods. Mark Lawrence's musical interpretation of this solo is extremely fresh and original and exciting. He shapes the line in completely different directions than that of Ralph Sauer, Jay Friedman, and Joe Alessi. I like Mark's interpretation the best as it is the most lyrical solo out of the American bigwig trombone players and it still has power. This is a must have for student brass players for listening and interpretive purposes as these solos are refreshing and the section playing is amazing. If I had enough room I'd tell you about the woodwind and string playing, but then there wouldn't be too much reason to buy this albumn, would there? Definately check this recording out for the playing of the orchestra! The last chord is huge both in color and resonance!

SF Symophony has let out yet another excellent recording in their Mahler Cycle. Michael Tilson Thomas gives a genius interpretaion, and this CD defies all the claims that the live perfomance of the Symphony in September 2002 was a struggle.
The orchestra members add color and splendor; Trumpeter Glenn Fitchhtal offers a superb posthorn solo, and trombonist Mark Lawrnece plays the solo in the first movement with fluency and determination. Michelle de Young also adds a mystical and awing sensation to the recording. Also on the CD is Kindertotenleider, and MTT along with the SFS and Michelle de Young, show that they are indeed some of the foremost Mahler interpreters.

At first listening I thought this recording was somewhat 'bland' and 'laid-back'. Well, maybe it would SEEM that way - at first listening -, compared to some of the more rough-hewn performances out there, but what we get here is simply detail, beauty, and sumptuousness of tone which is unparallelled! Also, the recording as such is so beautiful: lots of air around the instruments while retaining a beautifully blended, rounded and full (spatious) sound-picture.
This is not in any way a 'bland' or 'laid-back' performance, of course: this first impression (a wrong one, I believe) was just the result of the whole orchestra playing with such incredible beauty of tone and delicacy (and intelligence) of phrasing, no doubt helped by this insightful and intelligent conductor. Indeed, the playing may sound a bit more cautious here than in many other recordings, and yes, the result may seem a bit uncohesive as a result, but this (seeming) uncohesiveness may also just be inherent to this symphony itself: this symphony IS an invocation of Nature in music. Not just of the 'natural world around us', of course, but all of Nature, or maybe 'Creation', from rock and stone, flowers and trees, birds and beasts, to Human Beings and all of their aspirations. How could a subject so diverse (The story of Everything!) ever be concisely fitted within a neatly clipped symphonic statement; well, certainly not within the mind and music of a man like Gustav Mahler: with him there necessarily are harsh breaks and sudden transitions which do not ask to be glossed over by such orchestral phrasing as to make us forget the truths of which this music is speaking. On the contrary, Mahler, here as everywhere, wants us to be delighted, rattled, moved to the soul, shocked even sometimes, by his intrinsically diverse and colorful music and the truths of which it speaks. Mahler's music is a mirror of the World as he saw it; a World full of incongruencies and seemingly loose episodes with no 'meaning in themselves'. These are - to Mahler at least - the truths which wich we have to contend: Life and the World are full of loose ends and full of improvisations, and the Human Being trying to make sense of it all, without ever really getting a true sense of an 'Ultimate Truth' connecting all the loose ends to a final or ultimate 'End to it All'. Gustav Mahler was always LOOKING for God: never REALLY finding him, but always striving for him (coming as close as possible in the final adagio). The symphonies of Gustav Mahler are as much about that looking for meanings and connections where none may exist as anything else ...
This recording forced me - in a very pleasant way - to listen more carefully to this music. To my ears, this is an exquisite performance, where the music is seemingly 'taken as it comes', without forcing the issue, with a deep concentration and with attention to the many intricate and colorful details.

It is a huge statement to say that it is the best recording yet. But from the opening statement of the horns to the last sounds of the piece, this is it! The trombone solo by Mark Lawrence is just right. The bass drum at the end of the first movement is amazing. the scherzo rocks as hard as anything out there and the heroic themes of the last movement are enough to make you cry, if you haven't already. All the tension builds up to a magnificent release of every emotion at once. This is quite simply the best Mahler three yet.
Kindertotenlieder is also amazing however I do prefer the recording Bernstein did in Isreal with Janet Baker.
I own quite a few recordings of everything Mahler did and I do believe this series will be the best yet. I can't wait to hear the Seventh and the Second.

THIS RECORDING ROCKS!!