Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No.3/Das klagende Lied

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These overlooked performances turn out to be unusually captivating. When Haitink recorded the Mahler Third in 1966, the musical world had gone ga-ga, and rightly so, over Bernstein's version with the NY Phil. It's hard to compete against the greatest Mahlerian of his generation when he's on fire. But Haitink shouldn't be labeled as a 'sensible' alternative to Bernstein, the niche he was placed in by the Gramophone. This is a tremendous reading, better played and recorded than the Bernstein--in all respects the Concertgebouw is astonishing.

And Haitink himself surpasses all but the smallest handful of conductors in the excitement and visceral impact of his interpretation. Rather than go into detail, let me say that the titanic first movement lacks nothing in drama and thrills. The gentler second and third movements are played a bit too strictly in time (the second in particular could dance more lightly). Even so, we're talking about Mahler being played at the highest level, and the Concertgebouw winds make marvelous nature sounds in the Wunderhorn music. The offstage posthorn (it sounds like a trumpet here) could be more ghostly and melancholy. Haitink in general is a cheerful Mahler interpreter, however.

Singing 'O Mensch, Gib acht!' is the young Maureeen Forrester, in rich, expressive voice. Haitink takes this movement faster than almost anyone else at 8:43, but its tragic impact isn't harmed. The chorus in the fifth movement is dominated by women over the boys' choir; Haitink is plain and cheerful rather than evocative. The great Adagio finale is always helped by a string section whose tone can be heartbreakingly beautiful. The eloquence of the strings here makes you hold your breath from the first note, and Haitink displays his gift for shaping a slow melody, one of the prime tests of a great conductor.

It's strange that the Originals cover doesn't indicate the substantial filler, a 1973 reading of Mahler's early 'fairy tale for the concert hall,' Das klagende Lied. Finished when the composer was barely twenty, Klagende Lied waited twenty years to be premiered, by which time Mahler cut the half-hour first movement, leaving only the last two. Haitink performs only those, but they icnlude the most intense, concentrated music. His is a veyr fine performance, yet another reason to rejoice over this reissue.

In agreement with other reviewer, this is the best 3rd ever done by great
maestro Bernard Haitink. Furthermore, this is one of the highest peaks in
Mahler`s 3rd performances. In an objective way, Haitink knows how to explode
all the monumental and potential sonics from this work, making a beautiful,
intense, well balanced and perfectly detailed performance. Not into Bernstein
or Horenstein`s mannierisms, those are not for Haitink. For an objective but
no less intensive performance of this symphony, go for Haitink, nobody will
be dissapointed.

I'm not convinced that this version is to be preferred over Haitink's 2007 remake with the Chicago Symphony, which is given such an acidulous review by a reviewer who calls himself Mahler Nutcase. There are several technical flaws in this 1966 performance. Take for instance the trombone solo in part one which is certainly below par; the tone is rather leaden (which is not the same as menacing, which it should be), the timing is not ideal and the entry in the recap is quite uncertain. The orchestra employs very tinny-sounding cymbals which, as a consequence, make the cymbal crashes very disappointing (and I doubt whether the cymbals are used in sufficient numbers; two and four pairs respectively). There are also some slightly fuddled notes by the horns in the recap. The second movement is opened by a not very well performed oboe solo (again, questionable timing and the lower notes are flat); the third movement has a not very convincing post horn solo (on trumpet; but that's not the main problem. More problematic are the the slightly shaky intonation, the not very beautiful tone, the notable strain in the high notes and even an ugly clinker when the woodwinds come in half way through). I'm certain I can dig up more little deficiencies in the technical execution which I venture are not present in Haitink's CSO 2007 remake (although there the solo trombone finds himself drowned out for a moment in the tutti).
The second problem with this recording lies in the sound, which is a bit muddy (listen e.g. to the opening fanfare of the eight french horns or the non-sterling sound of the triangle) and boxed in (the deep brass are tubby and do not resonate). There is no sparkle, no lustre to the sound of the orchestra, which e.g. makes the achingly beautiful string melody in the second movement such a dud. Also there is a lack of textural clarity either because the recording balance is not ideal or because the equipment simply wasn't up to the task (which amounts to the same thing). So while perhaps the interpretation of the work may be sterling Haitink and the little musical deficiencies may be details one could quibble over (period charm?), the sum total would not make me recommend it without reservation to other listeners.

Note (2-1-2011): I listened and compared this recording once more to a number of others I have, most notably Chailly's, Zander's, Rattle's Birmingham & Haitink's Chicago, and I stick by my earlier comments. The sound (of course played with the same equipment with the controls exactly the same) is duller than the other performances and the deficiencies I noted (the trombone and oboe solos, the tinny cymbals, the post horn solo etc.) detract from my listening pleasure.

The small bit of the performance that I heard was lively, full-throated in its excitement. What a let-down, then, that the remastered sound was so artificial. The instrumentalists sounded as though they had been vacuum-wrapped in plastic. There was no audio hiss but also no air space or what should have been the natural sounds of the instruments, especially the brass.

Okay, what more could you ask for, really?

Santa Fe Listener has already covered most of the high-points of this reissue, so this will mostly be a "me, too" review. Just want to counter some absurd postings that claim the sound here is horrid or the remastering is artificial. Unless some discs in the press run were defective I can't imagine what the listener who wrote that is objecting to. I'd seriously like to know if he has heard other discs from the same period in the Originals series, because this sounds every bit as good as they, so if you've already bought some of these and know the general exceptional quality of this reissue program, you can rest assured this recording makes the cut. And Philips has always had my respect for exceptionally good sound period, even among the European conglomerates of DG/Decca/EMI, etc. In short, if you love or even like Mahler, you need to make a space for this disc on your shelf. (Fortunately, since this set is in slim-line 2-fer packaging, it won't have to be much of a space.) I currently have about a dozen Mahler 3rds, and have owned many more that have gone by the wayside, yet I'd still consider this release essential, no matter how crowded my collection is.

Like Santa Fe Listener I am entranced by Maureen Forrester's voice, and I want to point out what I hear as particularly nuanced shading in the choir of the fifth movement. If all you've heard is later Haitink, which tends towards expensive tempi (some of which works and some of which fall apart) and softened accents, you may be surprised how lively the youthful Dutchman is here. Things are on the brisk side (compare the 22 minute finale here with one of nearly 27 minutes' length in a 1990 live performance with the BPO), but the expressiveness is never sacraficed. I would like to hear a little more ppp in the strings in the finale ("breathing on the string" as it's called) but that's why I still keep Bernie's live 1990 BPO performance in my collection. Brass attacks in particular are crisp and agile. The Concertgebouw was at the beginning of its long relationship with the maestro, and it's clear they were in love with the guy. The acoustic is forward and bright.

My only reservation is in the toughest movement to pull off--the finale. Haitink takes things a little too briskly and doesn't differentiate among the many different shades of "p" here; hence he doesn't get that "time-stopping" effect that the best readings achieve, and which he has achieved in other performances of this piece.

Haven't listened to Das Klagende Lied, but this has been available in reissue before. The symphony, though, should not have had to wait so long to see the light of day in reissue. Still scratching your noggin? Stop scratching and buy this. Few decisions in life are this simple, so enjoy yourself. (As an aside, I wonder what Mahler's original audience thought to a symphony that starts out with the forging of the universe and quickly breaks into a gay little parade.)