Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Performer), Gustav Mahler (Composer), Hans Zender (Conductor), Brigitte Fassbaender (Performer), Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Brigitte Fassbaender
• Orchestra: Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Hans Zender
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (October 10, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Cpo Records
• ASIN: B000001S2F
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,531 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Symphony No. 9 in D major: Andante comodo

2. Symphony No. 9 in D major: Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers. Etwas täppisch und sehr derb

3. Symphony No. 9 in D major: Rondo. Burleske - Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig

4. Symphony No. 9 in D major: Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend

Disc: 2

1. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Revelge

2. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Rheinlegendchen

3. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Der Tambourg'sell

4. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Wer hat dies Liedel erdacht

5. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Der Schildwache Nachtlied

6. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Lob des hihen Verstandes

7. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt

8. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Das irdische Leben

9. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Trost im Unglück

10. Des Knaben Wunderhorn, song cycle (12) for voice & piano (or orchestra): Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent sleeper!, June 22, 2009

By 

LJM (Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Audio CD)

I have had this CD for years in my collection but haven't been listening to it seriously until recently. But now I have discovered what a treasure it is! Granted, it is out of print and the conductor and his orchestra are not the most well-known ones. Nonetheless, this is an excellent Mahler 9 for all you that cherish the approach of Bruno Walter's 1938 live recording (Mahler: Symphony No. 9) and, perhaps, also Gielen's modernist approach (Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Boulez: Rituel; Notations I-IV, VII). So I recommend a search for it.

The first movement is truly excellent and promising. Excellent playing contributes. The second movement's Ländler & Waltz are also fine, with great attention to details. However, the contrast between the two are not as clear-cut as one may be used to, but that matters little to me. The third movement, the Rondo-Burleske, is somewhat held-back (cf. Otto Klemperer's interpretation: Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Strauss: Metamorphosen; Tod und Verklärung), but that is, as I see it, perfectly allright. Some conductors play it so fast that you miss many of the delicate details, especially at the closing bars. Zender's view makes more sense, I think. The finale, by contrast, is played fast - Zender's interpretation is actually one of the fastest on record, together with Walter 1938: just 19'48 (Walter's is 18'20)! Here the obvious comparison are all those conductors that try to make eternity to appear a short time: Karajan (26'49), Bernstein (26'12), Chailly (28'24), Levine (32'27)... however, I don't think that the movement calls for such extreeeeeeeme slowness throughout. OK, the final bars should be very, very slow, but clearly not the whole movement. Zender convinces me with his very fine interpretation.

The second disc features famous voices in an excellent Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Brigitte Fassbaender. One singer is assigned to each song, as Mahler indicated but which many conductors incorrectly violate; Szell, for instance (Des Knaben Wunderhorn. The vocal contributions are superb, and Zender's interpretation is second to none. The version performed here is not totally "complete", however - at least not if one compares with Chailly's fine recording (Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn): "Verlor'ne Muh", "Urlicht" and "Das himmlische Leben" are not included. Still, I think that Zender's performance is in the same class as Prohaska's outstanding interpretation (Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn Maureen Forrester (Vanguard)) or (Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Des Knaben Wunderhorn).

Warmly recommended! Don't ignore it (as I did for several years)!