Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 6; Richard Strauss; Metamorphosen

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This Sixth is long overdue inclusion in the "Great Recordings of the Century" catalog - because despite its varied initial critical reception, it's Barbirolli's most interesting Mahler recording. Its absence from the catalog or any Mahler aficionado's collection would be a much greater loss than were Barbirolli's Ninth or Fifth to go missing.

In this coupling with a fitting and gorgeous Strauss Metamorphosen it has previously been available on an EMI Rouge et Noire disc, back then still with the movement order reversed to reflect the scholarship at the time: Scherzo first, Andante second. It works to riveting effect, which somewhat excuses the audio engineers' interference with the maestro's wishes, but that wasn't how Barbirolli recorded it or wanted it, and his wishes have been taken into consideration since the re-issue of the Mahler (coupled with Ein Heldenleben) on the double forte and then the gEMIni series.

Because I am too lazy to program my CD player to switch the movement order back, I have burnt myself a copy of the second CD that puts the Scherzo first. Mahler's and Barbirolli's wishes notwithstanding, the Scherzo second makes a lot more sense to my ears and Barbriolli's interpretation is, ironically, the quintessential "Scherzo-Andante type" - which is to say that Barbirolli is solidly in the "grit" camp - an impression that is heightened in its relentlessness when the onslaught of the Scherzo follows immediately and mercilessly after the opening Allegro, rather than having energy zapped by taming matters with the intermittent Andante.

Like a possessed Bulldog, drooling over the orchestra, Sir John drives the New Philharmonia to a performance the polar opposite of the other Barbirolli Mahler-recordings on EMI. The sound quality was not terribly good on the Rouge et Noire release but thanks to the 2002 remastering job has improved notably in the subsequent re-releases on CD. Fortunately you can hear Barbirolli grunt, huff, and puff - because that all sounds appropriate in this performance, as does the less-than-perfect playing of the orchestra. It is wild-eyed, relentless; its teeth are showing. The first movement drags cruelly but appropriately to these ears. (The repeat is skipped, perhaps the sole hair in the soup of this performance.)

Unlike other slow and even many quicker performances, it never loses momentum or sight of the longer lines. Barbirolli unfailingly holds the tension - even as the symphony hovers beautifully in the Andante. It's closest in vain to Dimitri Mitropoulos' live-recording with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln from 1959 (at time when "live" meant live!), itself a riveting, raw, individualistic (still shy of eccentric); truly an edge-of-the-seat reading. There are not all that many recordings of this symphony that are truly satisfactory. This is not only among them (Zander, Mitropolous, Gielen, Eschenbach, Fischer are, too), it's one of the finest available.

I agree with the other reviewers who find this a wonderful performance. I just want to add a few words about the ordering of the symphony's middle movements. Like many other folks, I prefer to hear the scherzo movement played right after the first movement. But that ordering remains controversial. Erich Leinsdorf's mid-1960s RCA recording (with the Boston Symphony) was a powerful reading of the score and the first to be made in stereo. At that time, RCA made a big deal out of Leinsdorf's decision to use Professior Erwin Ratz's newly published revised edition of the score which, among other things, moved the Scherzo into second place. (The symphony's only generally available previous recording, a "live" account on Philips recorded at a mid-Fifties Holland Festival by the Dutch conductor Eduard Flipse and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, followed the usual practice at that time and placed the Scherzo third, after the Andante.) Following Leinsdorf and until very recently, every recording except Harold Farberman's little-remembered 1970s Vox production followed Ratz and placed the Scherzo second. Now we are told that Professor Ratz essentially manufactured evidence about Mahler's intentions in order to justify his re-ordering of the middle two movements, and contemporary conductors including Simon Rattle once more champion the score with the Andante placed second.

I continue to prefer the Ratz ordering because I believe placing the Scherzo second makes more sense emotionally and structurally (i.e., per the progression of keys throughout and the key relationships established by placing the Scherzo second). But Mahler seems to have been of two minds on this question at different times, and I see no reason to dogmatically embrace either ordering as more authentic. Instead, I think it's better just to celebrate the fact that there are two different versions of Mahler's Sixth Symphony, and we can enjoy either or both. In other words, it's a little like the case with the various versions of some Bruckner symphonies. (To be sure, only a little!) In any case, I don't think that a conductor's published recording should be 'programmed' by the listener to provide the version the listener prefers .... conductors who "hear" the Scherzo as the second movement hear the entire symphony differently than conductors who perform the Andante as the second movement. And these conductors will perform the symphony with a different feel for the weight of each movement, and per how those relate to a projection of the whole work. According to the liner notes for this reissue in the Great Recordings of the Century series, Barbirolli recorded the Andante as the second movement, but EMI over-ruled his decision and placed the Scherzo second on its Lp versions as well as on previous CD editions. This amounts to a travesty of Barbirolli's intentions and, despite my own preference for the Ratz ordering, when I want to hear Sir John's magnificent performance of Mahler's Sixth I will listen to it as he intended I should, Andante played after the First Movement.

I originally purchased this Mahler sixth on lp way back in 1968 when the spine of the box-set read Mahler/Strauss. Metamorphosen was left off the two-disc set for whatever reason??? I am glad to have it restored and available.

The Sixth(as Berg said, "the only sixth, despite the "Pastoral") is, as a work and a performance, simply tremendous. It is massive and nearly diabolical in it's driven force. Unstoppable in it's momentum. The recording was always first-rate and the gong, harps and hammer blows are devastating in their impact. Sir John's vision has no "let up" in it's intensity and, though slow by most standards, always sounds right. I find this simply the most believable and right-sounding of all the recordings. A magnificent accomplishment. Thanks to EMI for making it available once again. Bravo Barbirolli!!

Two historic recordings from one of the greatest English conductors. Sir John Barbirolli is marvellous in both works. Made in 1960's, sound quality is very good, and performances are in high cult status.

Mahler's Sixth Symphony called "Tragic" recorded with New Philharmonia Orchestra. This performance is very majestic, not so flamboyant as Bernstein, but this reading is powerful and impressive. Real Mahlerians should have this recording, I think. Even so this symphony sounds like a sountrack of a horror film! As you know, Sixth Symphony is Mahler's most pessimist work and however written in his happiest years of his life (1904). Because, Mahler married to Alma Schindler, and they had a new girl, named Maria. Even so, this is a propethic work (!). Mahler, used hammer blows (in last movement) explains that his three Fate strokes which will to be in next years of his life. And these Fate strokes are: his daughter's sudden death in 1907 (at age 4!), his departure from Vienna Opera Court and his heart disease!... And then, the composer used cowbells in offstage, too. This explains the Alpine landscapes that impressed Mahler, and extreme loneliness and a mystic atmosphere. Even so, this is only symphony which finishes with dark atmosphere, not with a glory scene. And the last sudden exploding chord of music (in last seconds) usually scares me. The music finishes like a iron curtain falls in scene...

The orchestra is huge (as usual in Mahler): 5 flutists, 5 oboists, 5 clarinettists, 5 basoonsists, 8 horns, 6 trumpets, 4 trombones and a tuba, huge percussion includes bells, gong, hammer, 2 set timpani, 2 harps, celesta and about 50 - 60 strings.

The 1st movement begins like a Nazi March! This "risoluto" and tragic opening continues with a apassionata "Alma" theme, so this movement has a full of drammatic atmosphere. Especially the moments between durations 15"00 - 17"00, the Alma theme comes again and this passage is may be the most romantic moments of whole symphony, you can weep when listen it... The 2nd movement is played as Andante, as Mahler himself decided later to choice as 2nd movement, not as a Scherzo. It is peaceful music and portrays a illusionary happiness. The 3rd movement is Scherzo, and it is I think not a Scherzo, but a "Dance of Death", with devil's laughters, but in Trio section, describes the games of children, but in finish section there is a drammatic explosion and this game melody sounds now when goes away and dying in a whimper... The amazing Finale is the prophetic movement. It begins as a nightmare - a silent terror, and then continues with a heroic-tragic march. This march portraits the hero (Mahler), but then the three hammer blows (by the way, in that rec. the Hammer Blows are really earth-shattering!), and then defeat and abandons himself to his doom...

This 2-CD set is marvellous. They are definitve readings and a must have for all Mahlerians and Straussians, and other music lovers.

Highly recommended.

I know that this is a rather controversial interpretation because of its fairly slow first movement. For me, this is the most convincing take on Mahler's Sixth I have yet to hear. The Bernstein, Zander, Karajan, and Tennstedt all have great merit, but this version is the first one that I have listened to which is truly satisfying. The tension Barbirolli creates is electric. The recording quality is state of the art. Highly recommended!!

Barbirolli is great in Mahler (5 and 9 are very much worth listening too) and his interpretation of Metamorphosen is really good. I find it more moving and intimate than Kempe's version. Don't hesitate.

I've never cared for Barbirolli's Mahler 6. The first movement drags and throughout this work the Philharmonia sounds ragged and over taxed at times, and the recording is nothing special. Not my cup of tea. I'll stick with Eschenbach, Fischer and Herbig.