Mahler: Symphony Nos. 3 & 1

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Erich Leinsdorf (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Shirley Verrett (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Shirley Verrett
• Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (October 12, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00001R3MV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,974 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great Mahler recordings, September 19, 2000

By 

Robert J. Cruce (Muskogee, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony Nos. 3 & 1 (Audio CD)

I had not heard Leinsdorf's recording of the 1st symphony before I bought this set. The 3rd was the recording I had treasured for years. So how fortunate to get two fine performances. This is the Boston Symphony when they put "the aristocrat of orchestras" on their album covers and I have never doubted it for a moment. Orchestral excellence rules the day in these recordings and what a stunning remastering they have done. This is the kind of release we could only dream about in the LP era when we wondered how close we could get to what the master tape sounded like even with the best equipment available. The trouble with releases like this is that we'll all get spoiled for stupendous remasterings. I am ready to be pampered. This is a great Mahler performance of the third symphony with all the grandeur and vision the composer demanded. A must have release.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply the best all round Mahler Three, December 20, 2000

By 

R. Ball (London W14, England United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony Nos. 3 & 1 (Audio CD)

Although the No.1 in this set is not all that competitive since it has to be compared to the definitive Walter New York Phil. version as well as Solti LSO etc., the Mahler THREE is absolutely superb. The recording dates from RCA's 'golden era' when their sound engineers captured a quality, especially in Boston, that has rarely been equalled before, or more surprisingly, since. The Boston orchestra play with a weight, virtuosity and exuberance that is overwhelming and Leinsdorf's interpretation has a subtlety and expressiveness lacking in more modern versions. One significant criticism, however, is that Leinsdorf takes the finale at too quick a tempo throughout. No matter how often one tries to get used to it. the speed is simply just a bit too fast.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, May 31, 2000

By 

Donald C. Allen "Don Allen" (Carlisle, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony Nos. 3 & 1 (Audio CD)

I once had the privilege of spending a part of a morning walking around the grounds at Tanglewood with Mr. Leinsdorf, and I treasure that memory. He was an absolutely extraordinary man and a great musician/conductor who, I think, has always been a bit under-rated (I think he's one of the greatest Mahler conductors on record -- a great antidote, along with Boulez, to the over-wrought Bernstein approach), perhaps because he could be a bit abrasive. In any case, I just heard this performance of the 1st Symphony on the radio, never having heard it before, and all I can say is WOW! This is almost certainly the best Mahler 1st I've ever heard, and I still have the old Bruno Walter/NY Phil LP. Leinsdorf's choices, tempi, phrasing, dynamics, plus the virtuosity of the Boston Symphony, plus the recorded sound combine to make a really outstanding recording. Highest recommendation.