Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony Nos. 3 & 1

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I generally agree with the fine gentleman below and respect his judgements on many reviews but in this case I'd say it was Boston itself (one dreary dull town back in 1960) and maybe the uncomfortable seats in the hall that led him to such a sour appraisal of Leinsdorf's work. I have an old Dvorak "New World" of Leinsdorf's that's a fave and nobody's come close on the Prokofiev Fifth he recorded in Boston--the ending is Twilight-zonish and maniacal--an essential quality all conductors miss when they follow the "festive" line. Then there's Korngold's Tote Stadt, which, if anything, he applied some much-needed control to and then arrived at a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Mahler's works, since Bernstein and a few others, have taken on the form of the giant Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloons. Mahler couldn't exceed Beethoven in raw genius so he attempted to overwhelm him with Giants, Ogres, and Cyclopses (?) that get to be a bit much if made to dance and cavort too outrageously. Pity Mahler never recorded them so we could have a sense of just how much hyperbolic amperage to apply to these Frankensteins but Bruno Walter, who should know something as he was Mahler's assistant, was often (and still is) accused of restraint in the music. Ditto with Karajan (not his assist) who tends to actually play up the quality of the writing rather than the hand-wringing and teeth gnashing. Mitropoulos, another Mahler doyen, may not be the best source for authenticity as he would even turn the Brahms Lullaby into some insanely frenzied demon. I love Mitropoulos dearly but frankly, he was nutz. So was Bernstein.

So, maybe an under-inflated performance be a good one and in this case it is. Suddenly the Mahler Third doesn't seem like it sprawls over four LP sides, it might even fit onto one CD (in a sense). I love this performance, it's not a monster anymore, just a great symphony that fits well between mature performances of the Second and Fourth. I also love Leinsdorf's Mahler Fifth and I notice another reviewer says the same thing. Blame the fact that although I live in Massachusetts I never go to Boston. Everything there sounds bad. One last thing, what is wrong with considerate, technically accomplished, and talented conductors who don't feel much need to hem and haw over the music, who aren't afraid to let the composer speak for his or her self? I'm growing to appreciate solid musicians like Cluytens, Schuricht, Leinsdorf, Kempe, Jochum (who, by being merely conscientious makes Bruckner actually work), and others. Meanwhile I also love Scherchen, Stokowski, Silvestri, Bernstein, and Mitropoulos (not to mention Furtwangler, natch). There's a place for all these old greats.

Mahler still needs sorting out. He's possibly the Great Symphonist of at least the turn of the last century, if not the whole century--slightly more consistently inspired than Shostakovich (not that comoposers fault, admittedly), a hair more overwhelming than Nielsen overall (although Nielsen--piece for piece can operate at a much higher velocity), and generally more memorable than Sibelius, who sort of wandered off there toward the end and beached himself. Mahler's music will establish itself solidly once we've weaned (mostly younger) conductors from the hyperbolic approach, although that's taking far too long. I'd look seriously at this performance as a model, add in Bruno Walter II and Kubelik I along with Szell IV and, again, Leinsdorf V. That's about as far as I'm going to commit myself. Regardless of his standing (which is high no matter what), these symphonies should flow very well and consistently from one to ten in the same way the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies (and Schumann if you think about it) work as solid edifices. That won't happen if each one is bent out of shape.

On a final note in what's turning into a fantasia on The Symphony: one mid and two late century composers have this quality of turning out a fairly solid series of consistently high-quality symphonic works and oddly, all are British. Vaughn Williams really needs to be looked at firmly, and so do Malcolm Arnold and Robert Simpson. Arnold is the real sleeper here, often there is a sense of universal greatness still unappreciated.

[BMG, no doubt, is going to deep-six this release ASAP as I seriously doubt its been a super seller for them and they have already killed a number of great recordings in this outstanding series. I'll be amazed if they reissue it. Grab it while you can!]

[PPS--I neglected to mention that the Boston Symphony of this era was one of the most beautiful-sounding orchestras imaginable, up there with the Concertgebouw and the Berlin]

I have long awaited for these to be issued on CD and finally the best is here. A First with a power and drive not found in many other recordings and the only performance (that I am aware of) that solves the problem of the missing 16 bars of percussion in the last movement. A performance that has always knocked my socks off. The Third, also, does not belabor the point. Another reviewer referred to the Third's finale being too fast. He should read the score. The Finale is perfectly paced and coherently detailed in Leinsdorf's hands. And then there is Shirley Verret. A great mezzo whose performances I remember when I was a kid during the 60's when my mother took me to the opera. My one note of disapproval is the overall sound. The sound has a heavier quality than I remember from the original vinyl pressings. Otherwise, you cannot go wrong.

Now, while no single conductor does all of Mahler perfectly, if you are looking to add Mahler's First and Third to your library, you cannot do better than Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony.

Other wonderful additions to your Mahler library you may want to consider: Bernstein/London S.O. "Resurrection" (#2) Symphony and Symphony #8, Eduard van Beinum/Concertgebouw O. Symphony #4 (a Mono recording which is finally available on CD but in a hard to find/purchase Japanese Decca CD), for Symphonies #'s 5, 6, and 9 the only choice is Karajan/Berlin P.O.(though Leinsdorf/Boston is a close second on numbers 5 and 6), Bernstein/New York P.O. for Symphony #7. All of the above are available on CD.

There are complete sets out there by the likes of Solti, Haitink (2 sets; 1 audio with the Concertgebouw and 1 video with the Berlin Phil), Kubelik , Bernstein (3 sets; 2 audio with primarily the New York and Vienna Phils and 1 video with primarily the Vienna Phil.), and other lesser known conductors. These are uneven in quality and invariably will drive the Mahler-ite to look for more satisfying performances.

One thing to keep in mind, the best, most satisfying, interpretation will not always be the best sounding (as with the Van Beimun Mono recording mentioned above). So, if you insist on both, be prepared to put-down some major bucks. The hunt will be expensive.

I must say I was a bit surprised at the great quality of this recording. No other recording from this era has the technical virtuosity, the sound quality, or the simple musicality that this disc offers. The only thing which dissapointed me was the trombone solo in the third symphony, which seemed a bit uninspired and frankly quite dull next to the competition, but the rest of this double CD was marvelous. Liensdorf tends to draw out ends of phrases more than other conductors, but most times he pulls it off with flair. This certainly is not the last word in Mahler (will there ever be?) but Liensdorf proves himself to be a fabulous interpreter of Mahler here, perhaps better than many of the more recognized Mahler conductors out there. Bravo!

Leinsdorf's posthumous reputation has taken many hits of late. He is characterized as stiff and cold, but I have to disagree. His RCA/Decca recordings of the Mozart Da Ponte operas are still among the finest on disc. Leinsdorf's more objective Mahler performances constitute a welcome alternate view to more hyper-emotive Mahler performances of the 1960s and 70s. Tastes vary, of course, but if you prefer a performance that allows the music to speak for itself you won't be disappointed in this Mahler 3rd. While Horenstein's Unicorn recording remains the touchstone (for me at least)there is much to admire here. While her voice may not have the ideal weight, Verrett's singing is well thought out and pleasing to the ear. The virtues of Leinsdorf's objective style are evident in Symphony No. 1 as well. The High Performance re-mastering is very well done.

As a sidebar, a few years back I found an Italian RCA CD remastering of the First in a local cut-out bin. In a strange and wonderful coupling, the performance is paired with Leontyne Price's Strauss Four Last Songs with Maestro Leinsdorf.

I agree that the Mahler 3 is fabulous and, for my money, the Mahler 1 is just as good if not better. Leinsdorf is a classicist among Mahler conductors, eschewing Bernstein's overwrought sentimentalism (especially in the later DGG recordings) and Solti's "you wanna hear LOUD?" brutality. So don't look for cheap Mahler thrills from Leinsdorf. On the other hand, I've never heard a more lucid presentation of what's going on in Mahler's orchestra than in these beautifully recorded and remastered discs. (BMG's 24-bit remastering process is used to spectacular effect. Who knew that RCA's masters were this good? Certainly not any of us who suffered through their wretched Lp pressings in the '60s and '70s!) Finally, although I respect Bruno Walter's Mahler recordings , I think we're long overdue for a reappraisal of just how good his Mahler First really is. I agree that Walter's mono recording of the First is preferable to his later stereo re-make, but neither of those recordings, nor the two live performance transcripts I've heard by Walter, seem to me to justify their too-exalted status among Mahler collectors. I'll take Leinsdorf (or, in its different way, Bernstein/Sony) over any of them!

RCA is reaching back into its vaults and releasing older performances, reaching into its bag of technical tricks to present them in the best possible sonic light. In its new "High Performance" series of releases, the recordings are "digitally remastered in Weiss 24/96 technology using a customized Studer transport with Cello electronics and universally compatible UV22J Super CD encoding." When you think of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, you think of a warm, velvety sound, and that is what is achieved here. The three-decades-old recording (the 1st was recorded in 1962, the 3rd in 1966) sounds pretty good in this incarnation.

Seeing the "HP" on the front cover, inside cover, and the disks themselves inevitably brought to my mind that eminent editor and long-time RCA sound advocate, Mr. Harry Pearson, and I could not help but wonder whether the producers of this series thought the same thing, or whether they have ever thought about producing a "Kinetic Wavelength Normalized" series of recordings when even better recording technology becomes available in the future. We shall see...

Most Mahler fans will already own versions of these symphonies, and that is why the whole premise of this release starts to break down, because Leinsdorf has never been mentioned as a great Mahler conductor; indeed, the performances on this disk sound pretty routine. To be honest, a "routine" performance of the Mahler 3rd (the longest symphony written by a major composer) means that the listener is going to be in for a long evening.

The best is the enemy of the good, and in terms of both performance and sound quality, this Leinsdorf/RCA set is easily bettered in the 1st by Boulez/DG and Judd/Harmonia Mundi, and in the 3rd by Salonen/Sony and López-Cobos/Telarc. RCA has done an excellent job of transferring these performances to compact disk, but there is just not enough musical excitement to make this release recommendable.

For those who wish to acquire a great performance of both of these symphonies you cannot go wrong with this set. Even though the performances were from the 60s the sound is as good or surpasses modern recordings. The performance of the first surpasses even Boulez with the Chicago Symphony. The only drawback is the need to straighten out pictures on the wall. Markevich's performance of the first with the Leipzig orchestra is also in this class. Also Bernstein.