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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Third Symphony with a true sense of awe., December 30, 1999
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor - Horenstein (Audio CD)
Bruno Walter visited Mahler during the summer of 1896, and was at one point awestruck by the majestic beauty of the mountains surrounding Steinbach-am-Attersee. During that contemplative moment alone with his student, Mahler uttered his famous quote: "No need looking up there - That has all been composed by me!" The symphony he referred to was, of course, the Third. The fact that this is an all-encompassing symphony does not automatically dictates its grandeur in every performance. Many performances lose sight in the demanding details on which the music is built, and from which the music extracts its Herculean scope. No recorded performance distills the essence of the music to such humbling grandness as Horenstein's. The drama of nature, significant or mundane, is meticulously documented by Mahler in this symphony, and presented with almost imperceptible interference by the performers. The LSO musicians is in their top form and the Posthorn solo is the best I have heard, live or recorded. Horenstein handles every musical suspense masterfully, and the musical climaxes erupt with raw power matched only by the force of nature. The recording is marred by less than ideal sound (some of the more opulent orchestral details are lost) but it's still good quality considering the year it was recorded. This flaw should be completely overlooked judging from the value of the interpretation. This is an absolutely insightful and important rendition for anyone interested in studying the Third. In every playful tune and in every heart-breaking despair, in the most earth-shattering blasts and in the softest whispers, it takes Horenstein and the LSO to show that the Third Symphony is not only structurally grand, but also spiritually profound.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horenstein Captures the Essence of Mahler's Third Symphony, February 25, 2000
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor - Horenstein (Audio CD)
Most lovers of Mahler---be they devoted or fleeting---find his Symphonies No 1, 4, or 5 to be the most accessible. The Symphony No 8 is rarely heard because of the large number of performers required, while the 2nd is heard fairly often despite nearly similar requirements. Lost among this list is the 'Great' Symphony No 3: a vast sea of music and emotion that is rarely tackled in the present day probably due to its sheer length (more than 100 minutes in most performances). The 3rd symphony is a unique piece of classical music in that virtually every human emotion can be found among its six movements and many pages. While Mahler later discounted his programmatic descriptions of the movements, they genuinely provide insight into this work. The first movement, as long as anything Bruckner ever wrote, describes the awakening of the world and begins with a glorious horn soli that can be found nowhere else than in Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony. The work passes by the animals and flowers, finally arriving in the wisdom of children and love in the 5th and 6th movements, respectively. The finale ends with one of the most beautiful yet dramatic passages in all of late German Romanticism. Jascha Horenstein is not a marquee name conductor, but this one recording from the early 1970s vaulted him to exalted status among aficionados of the Mahler symphonies. He draws a top-notch performance from an orchestra which is not among the world's best. The horn section plays with remarkable sound and intonation, the trombone, posthorn, and violin solos are all among the best to be found in any recording, and the pace of the entire work is careful laid out to the listener. I first purchased the LP two decades ago, and it has remained among my most treasured recordings. While Bernstein's recording with the New York Philharmonic in the 1960s is thought by many to be the most exciting or definitive, or the recording by Levine with the Chicago Symphony as having the greatest overall sound, the Horenstein recording attains the best overall performances and unity of expression.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly Convincing and Unique Artistic Vision., February 27, 2003
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor - Horenstein (Audio CD)
Mahler's Third Symphony is an absolute landmark in the symphonic literature, completely reconceptualizing the rhetoric and structure of that genre. Not only the length and the number of movements are dramatically expanded, but more importantly the discourse is expanded as well. Nothing like the first movement had existed before, and to a lesser extent the other movements (especially the third, with its juxtapositions of posthorn solo and scherzo; and the fifth, juxtaposing cheerful children's choir with lunatic darkness) break new ground also. The work places extreme demands on the audience and the orchestra (Mahler actually travelled with his own trombone soloist when he conducted this around Europe!) and has not become a staple of the repertoire for these reasons. An incredibly awesome artistic vision it is, not only innovative but also emotionally appealing. Jasha Horenstein's direction of the London Symphony Orchestra is completely convincing and does Mahler's vision justice. Legendary trombonist Dennis Wick does a superb job with the longest orchestral trombone solo in the literature, portraying the awakening of the god Pan. William Lang's flugelhorn performance of the posthorn solo is unearthly in its beauty, and the London Symphony's horn section absolutely shines throughout in an incredibly demanding part. Contralto Norma Procter is not especially compelling in the fourth movement, however, and the Wandsworth School Boys' Choir and the Ambrosian Singers are not particularly noteworthy in the penultimate movement. Other reviewers have criticized the recording quality, but I have no such concerns--it seems crisp to me, with a suitably wide dynamic range and important details, such as the rute in the second movement, are clear and vibrant. Where I am concerned is the price, which seems ridiculous for a two CD set recorded in the 70s. I'm very disappointed in Unicorn-Kanchana, who seem to be deliberately exploiting the popularity of this particular recording among ardent Mahler-philes. And people wonder why Classical music recordings are in such dire straits. You'll have to decide for yourself whether the recording is worth the money, but remember that Mahler's not getting a piece of the action, and I'm pretty sure Horenstein and the LSO's bite are fairly insignificant. Still, from the overwhelmingly powerful first movement to the absolutely transcendent finale, Mahler's Third is a completely remarkable piece and this is a compelling rendition; perhaps at twice the price it would still be a bargain.
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