Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 1- Titan / Symphony No. 10 (Adagio)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a case of the good versus the great. Though Leonard Bernstein may have had some worthy interpretive insights during his years with the New York Philharmonic, I've always felt he was let down by the shabby playing and recorded sound he was given. It's strange, since the same Columbia crew that worked on Bernstein's recordings also worked on Szell's and Ormandy's, but the difference is astounding. The latter conductors recordings, even from the early 50's, never cease to astonish for their clarity, realism, and depth. Bernstein's recordings, however, are almost always tinny and shabby. The Mahler 1 on this recording is a good example. The interpretation is a powerful, flowing one, but the New York Philharmonic just plain doesn't sound good. The Mahler 10 Adagio is in a different universe. This recording was made in 1975, when Pierre Boulez was music director of the NY Phil, and his exacting standards of clarity and execution clearly aid in making this one of the great Mahler recordings ever made. The New York Philharmonic has never played or sounded better, and Bernstein's painstaking, searing interpretation is one for the ages, without the bizarre theatricality of his early recordings or the drawn-out marathons of his last years. Buy this one for the 10th.

I must say that this CD is absolutely sublime. Unlike the previous reviewer, I felt symphony No. 1 comes across as fresh and exciting. I also find the sound to be quite good and the intonation of the New York Philharmonic is world class. Mahler's 1st has many colors and offers moments of breathtaking beauty and mystery. From it's almost Pastoral opening, through the effervescent Scherzo and into the darker recesses of the last movements, it is a late 19th century jewel. The music, as conducted by Bernstein, is particularly alive and engaging. Also, the 10th Adagio is a masterpiece. It's power sends shivers throughout. This most be a definitive recording of the only movement Mahler got to complete of his last Symphony. In summary, nearly 80 minutes of incredible music that captures a great Mahlerian conductor and a superb orchestra. A highly recommended purchase.

I grew up on Mahler's first with Bernstein and the Concertgebouw which is a great performance. It was also one of the first CD's that I bought ever. Only now (after many many years) did I get this performance with the NYP. While the "style" is perhaps the same as the Concertgebouw, there is a certain amount of freshness and uncontrolled power that makes this performance uplifting and breathtaking. The performance is spotless the conducting along with the phrasing and the tempi are perfect. The inner movements are performed with full vigor -- the "dance" in the second movement is zesty and energetic an the "funeral" of the third movement puts one in exactly the right mindset for the death of the Titan. The first movement, sounds like nature (birds and wind and flowers) and comes to the final blowup that lets your spirit soar. The final movement is DARK and gloomy and has the recapitulation of the first movement perfectly inserted. The mixture of gloom and that beautiful, heart-breaking second theme is perfectly conducted and minipulated and "staged" by Bernstein. This is a free flowing, high momentum performance of this symphony that is hard to top. Definate 5 star performance.
The Adagio from the 10th symphony is perhaps the pearl of this disc. I have heard 2 other performances of this, both by Sir Simon Rattle (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Symphony Orchestra) which are both great performances. However, this performance is really a treat. Bernstein really understood what was going on here. Both Rattle performances seem as if they were incompetely orchestrated. This Bernstein performance puts everything into perspective. Even the massive dissonances towards the end of the movement are perfectly in place and "make sense".
Putting together the first symphony and the last (incomplete)symphony show how Mahler's style developed during his lifetime. The first symphony is basically his most accessible symphony which is full of harmony and without too much dissonance. Yes, it takes you on a trip into another world, yet it is fairly "standard" in nature. The last symphony is a lesson in harmonic dissonance and progressions. The orchestration is completely difference in these 2 symphonies. The early one being very brassy and the later one being generally lighter with deeper harmonies and more challenging progressions and textures.
I would recommend this disc without hesitation. It is not expensive, and the sound is great. I would give the first symphony 5 stars but I would definately give the performance of the 10th (Adagio) many more stars if I could. Enjoy :)

Sometimes the later Bernstein significantly revised the ideas of the earlier Bernstein, but this isn't the case here. Bernstein recorded the Mahler First early on in his NY cycle. His 1960 version, coupled with a magnficient 1975 reading of the Adagio from the Tenth Sym., is virtually identical to the later live performance with the Concertgebouw released by DG in 1989.

In both cases the first movement is fairly deliberate--it slows down by over a minute in Amsterdam--and the nature painting of the hushed forest is enchantingly done. In its delicacy and musicalaity this could be the best movement in both interpretations. Contrary to some reviewers here, there is little exagerration or over-emphasis. The NY Phil. plays beautifully but without that special European stylishness which the Concertgebouw demonstrates. The later Bernstein also took more care to make the solo birdcalls and other nature sounds be more distinct.

In both readings the second movement is slow, deliberate, and heavy--a clog dance stamping on the earth--and Bernstein slows down even further for the trio sections. The third movement, with its parody of Frere Jacques as a funeral march, is not as satiric in either performance as one might anticipate. Certianly it isn't mannered in any way. Bernstein doesn't comically underline the Jewishness of the band which accompanies the dead to his grave (this movement was inspired by a comic engraving of forest animals acting as a solemn funeral procession for a fallen hunter). In both readings the last movmenet is a cosmic explosion, all stops out. It is as recklessly exciting as anything Bernstien ever found in Mahler. Perhaps the Concertgebouw is more unleashed, but it's close.

Reviewers have commented on the excellent digital sound of the DG release, which is true, but in 1960 CBS also gave Bernstein large-scale sound with great detail and imapct. Anyone will recognize these readings as extremely dramatic and committed, though not pushed and pulled around. The fact that the NY version contains such a powerfullly tragic reading of the Mahler Tenth Adagio, and comes at mid-price, may sway a buying decision in its favor. Otherwise, I found little to choose between them.

I don't have much experience in listening to recordings done of this piece. The only other ones I've heard were of Solti with the Chicago Symphony, and one done by London. Of the three recordings i've heard, this is my favorite. The performance is by no means pristine. Specifically, brass (*cough*trumpet*cough*) intonation is obviously not perfect. The sound quality is also not exactly the best i've ever heard, though its good enough never to really become an issue. Its the impression that I get from hearing Bernstien's exciting interpretation, and the enthusiastic (if flawed) performance from the orchestra that makes this my favorite recording of this symphony. The first and second movements in particular make me want to go pull out my copy of this music and practice it again, which is sort of my guage for how effective a recording is. The strings in particular seem un-characteristically agile and synchronized. Especially when compared to other Bernstien Century recordings I have in my collection like the Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherezade, and the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, which are both guilty of being sporadically very messy. If you're looking to buy a recording of Mahler's 1st symphony I really don't think anyone could be disappointed by this CD.

This is my first recording of Mahler's first symphony, as well as the Adagio from the tenth. I must say that after reading the reviews of this recording I had my hopes up. And I was not in the least bit disappointed. The symphony as a whole is a gigantic masterpiece, truly deserving its name "Titan". Leonard Bernstein's conducting of the work is as lively and vibrant as ever, and his handling of the orchestra is masterful. This is a must-own for all Mahler fans, and Leonard Bernstein fans alike!

Of all the symphonies Bernstein recorded in the first Mahler cycle for sony, I've really find the Seventh, the Eighth, and the Fourth highly favorable, but none other than the First Symphony "The Titan". (As for the second DG cycle the Second, the Sixth, and the Ninth, but let's resume what I should focus on...) Lenny's straightforward yet notoriously intense treatment of this composition, with the New York Philharmonic which had Mahler himself as director long decades ago, adds up to one of the best "Titan" performance ever (if not the best).

I especially loved the youthful vigor Lenny and the orchestra had built in the bright first movement, and the highly intense an glorious fourth movement... even though the only flaw would have to be a r-e-e-ally slight need of the trumpet's intonation in the finale... if only that was perfect. The sound quality could be another minor issue, but at least it's digitally restored, and with a performance that brilliant why should you bother. Forget the later Concertgebow performance Lenny did in DG, despite a more refined, cleaner performance with another great Mahler orchestra, this is the "Titan" to look for.

As for the Adagio of the incomplete Tenth, I do appreciate the point the Lenny decided to leave the finalized segments of the piece to Mahler himself, instead of having any of the many editors who would "finish" the symphony. The performance in the Adagio movement alone is great, and Lenny has done another excellent job with that.

A must-buy(!!!) for a Mahler fan or any people who wants to know about Mahler.

Leonard Bernstein's impact on the ever growing popularity of the symphonies of Gustav Mahler is still being felt. Many orchestras around the world are celebrating this year with Mahler Projects, series of concerts devoted to the music of Mahler, as well as boxed sets of Mahler recordings both contemporary and collected over the years. As is so often the case, when the classical music lover wants to return to a conductor whose interpretations of Mahler continue to be the gold standard, then it is time to pull out these old CDs of Bernstein with Mahler.

This particular recording is a later performance by the master and feels so right, so intuitively in tune with the score as Mahler wrote it that it should also be noted that as a Mahler expert Leonard Bernstein pairs this extraordinary performance of the Mahler Symphony No. 1 with the Adagio from the unfinished Symphony No. 10. In a performance last night with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic with the same program, Dudamel addressed the audience after the rapturous reception to the Mahler First, explaining that it is important to compare the first with the last writings of Mahler - a demonstration of the span of Mahler's robust Romanticism in the First with the move toward 20th century modernism in the Adagio from what would have been the Tenth symphony. It was a touching moment, but it was also a tribute to Bernstein's like pairing on this recording with the New York Philharmonic. The tradition goes on and continues to enthrall and enlighten us. This recording should be a part of every Mahlerite's library - and one for those who simply wish to understand Mahler's genius. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 12

Leonard Bernstein is almost always a sure bet for an interesting Mahler experience. This recording of Mahler's youthful Symphony No. 1 is just that. This was actually the next to last symphony of the cycle to be recorded. Here we have the New York Philharmonic in top form, the intonation problems that had been existent on some of the recordings made previously in this set now gone. The brass in particular are very good, especially the horns, which have that very distinctive American sound to them. As far as interpretation goes, Bernstein chooses to go fairly quick, but it works very well. I feel like he chooses to build up excruciatingly to the last three minutes of the symphony, and when that time comes, it is like a supernova. Horns whoop, woodwinds fly, and the strings go to town. Out of the several Mahler firsts that I own, this is hands down my favorite one. I would say that this is actually the best recording out of the whole first set. The Adagio from the Tenth is heart-wrenching, and is probably definitive. All in all, an excellent disc at an amazing price.

Bravi tutti!

Bernstein's performance with the New York Philharmonic make up for the pish-posh sound Sony offers in this Bernstein Century Edition member. Besides the sound, there really aren't any other complaints to file against this disc. I think it's well worth the price for Mahler's "Titan" Symphony, as well as the first movement of what would be his tenth, hadn't he died.

Mahler's Symphony No. 1 is what introduced me to Mahler. Experimenting with other interpretations of this piece of art, I can't really reccomend any other interpretation besides this one conducted by Bernstein. The other versions were weak and suffered from little emotion being blown through the pointless direction of the orchestra. Bernstein really mirrors what Mahler intended through his conducting however. Through the first movements mirroring nature and man, the funeral march, and the powerful fourth. Bernstein never once neglects Mahler's intentions. If you want to enjoy this particular symphony, I would advise you purchase this copy. Or, if there is another Bernstein interpretation of this work, which offers better sound quality than what Sony has to offer, I would reccommend you buy that one. Tata..