Mahler: Symphony No. 1 [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import]

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Valery Gergiev (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Valery Gergiev
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (June 10, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import
• Label: Lso Live UK
• ASIN: B0017TZ92W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,012 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony no 1 in D major 'Titan': 1st movement, Langsam schleppend

2. Symphony no 1 in D major 'Titan': 2nd movement, Kräftig bewegt

3. Symphony no 1 in D major 'Titan': 3rd movement, Feierlich und gemessen

4. Symphony no 1 in D major 'Titan': 4th movement, Stürmisch bewegt

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mahler 1st Symphony Of Great Clarity and Emotion from Gergiev & LSO, August 6, 2008

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Having demonstrated that he is among our foremost interpreters of Shostakovich, eminent conductor Valery Gergiev has embarked on a potentially great Mahler symphony cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra as its new principal conductor for the orchestra's LSO Live label. A musical journey that shouldn't surprise long-time listeners and admirers of Gergiev's conducting, especially when Shostakovich expressed his own artistic debt to Mahler's genius for melody and orchestration throughout his fourteen symphonies. Gergiev's exceptional interpretation of the Mahler 1st Symphony is one that shall be remembered for its great clarity and emotional depth. All Gergiev asks of his new orchestra is superb intonation and fidelity to Mahler's intentions; needless to say we are treated to a sonic spectacular quite removed from the overwrought emotional richness of a late career Leonard Bernstein; instead, in its crisp, steady unfolding, Gergiev's interpretation most closely resembles Bernard Haitink's in its clarity, sonic richness and fidelity to Mahler. Under the exceptional technical stewardship of LSO Live producer James Mallinson and his team, live Barbican concert performances recorded earlier this year (January 2008) truly resemble most closely a well-miked studio recording.

Gergiev adheres to brisk tempi throughout the score, emphasizing the vibrant qualities of the lieder melodies which Mahler borrowed from his own songs, especially heard in the main theme of the first movement, which is taken from the second song in Mahler's "Songs of a Wayfarer" four song cycle. The second movement is a brash, bold landler (a close, but coarse, country kin to the refined Viennese waltz) that borrows a theme from an earlier song. In stark contrast, the third movement is a triumphant funeral march, whose core melody is the familiar Frere Jacques tune from childhood. Finally this too passes in a concluding fourth movement that briefly revisits the main themes from the preceding three in a musical maelstrom, before concluding in a hopeful brass fanfare of almost Wagnerian proportions. It is truly one of Gergiev's great gifts as a conductor that he coaxes refined, quite elegant, playing from the winds and brass, as well as the strings. Without a doubt this latest recording of the Mahler 1st Symphony promises to be a serious contender as a definitive recording for classical music fans, worthy of comparison to relatively recent recordings made not only by Bernard Haitink, but Pierre Boulez, David Zinman, and Claudio Abbado too.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!, June 14, 2008

By 

M. Muckler "Nwarth" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Valery Gergiev, like Carlos Kleiber, is considered famous for his painstakingly ingenious phrasing. No where is that claim better evidenced than in this CD. I had once reviewed MTT's wonderful interpretation of this very same symphony, extolling his CD as a wonderful interpretation, however Gergiev and the entire LSO have taken my breath away. This interpretation is far more directed and pointed than MTT's while retaining the same level of exactness from the performers. Clearly Gergiev shows us that he has an idea of where this symphony is going, and just what is important to that telos. Especially impressive is the last movement. Gergeiv here brings to life not only that exultation that a symphony is a world unto itself, but also catches the idea of being a thunderstorm and battle between hero and tribulations.

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid reading of Mahler's 1st, August 11, 2011

By 

Andrew R. Barnard (Leola, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Mahler's Symphony No. 1 is a work that is full of youthful zest and spirit. As the very first of his nine (or ten) stunning symphonies, it already shows an unprecedented skill of symphonic writing, beginning the Mahler tradition of using huge orchestras in an attempt to incorporate the whole world into a symphony. Interpreters who try to tackle this work should have a feel for the great underlying structure in this symphony. But, equally important, they must pick up on the exuberant love for life and nature that is all throughout this symphony.

How did Valery Gergiev fare in his reading? Well, first off, I'll have to say that he is very successful in recognizing the great symphonic structure in this work. His reading doesn't lack bigness in tone, and there is always a sense of the strong structural backbone present in the symphony. I'm particularly pleased at how well the LSO fares in producing a big tone that can handle the big climaxes in this symphony with a surprising dexterity, something which isn't always present to this extent in other LSO Live albums. The LSO's percussion section is better than I've ever heard it before and the basses dig deep into their passages with a wonderful snarly tone.

But what I find somewhat lacking in this reading is a sense of blissful contentment and love of nature I feel Mahler has sprinkled throughout this work, particularly in the 1st movement. While the LSO woodwinds play the bird calls that start out this symphony with a clear, precise tone, I'm not swept off my feet in the way that I would like to be. And, in general, Gergiev has a tendency to be so caught up with bigness of sound that he misses the charm. This isn't true everywhere: the 3rd movement is full yearning sentiment and a love that makes it a decided success for Gergiev. But elsewhere, I can't quite say the same. The 2nd movement is hardly very folksy and fun, as grand as Gergiev makes it. I'm a bit more sympathetic with Gergiev's look at the finale, as the orchestral thunder he unleashes is so terrifying. Even there, though, I find it a bit impersonal.

Despite this album's setbacks, it is still a good, solid reading. It just doesn't send me into the raptures that one might hope it would.