Customer Reviews

Mathis Der Maler / Symphonic Metamorphosis

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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If you are going to own only one CD of Hindemith's music, I urge you to make it this one. The Mathis der Maler symphony (1934) and the Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber (1943) are probably Paul Hindemith's two greatest orchestral works. The music is appealing, vital, beautifully crafted, accessible, bristling with a masculine vigor, exuberance, energy. Blomstedt is arguably the foremost Hindemith conductor of our day; these performances are expert, heartfelt, and superbly realized, displaying these two works in all their considerable glory. The sound (the recordings were made in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, 1987) is representative of the splendid Decca/London engineering at its best; this is an exemplary modern digital orchestral recording: well balanced, with full frequency range, wide dynamic range, every detail of the inventive orchestration clearly registering. This CD has been warmly praised by critics, receiving strong recommendations in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and the Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide. A standout recording by any measure.

This was the first in a series of distinguished Decca/London recordings made by Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony, whose music director he was from 1985 to 1995. This series included a second splendid Hindemith release. Blomstedt was music director of the great Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 to 1985, and made a distinguished series of recordings there for Denon. He is now music director of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, where he has made a third excellent Hindemith recording (also on Decca).

There is a viable, worthy budget-priced alternative to the Blomstedt CD on Sony Essential Classics, featuring the same two works, with the Mathis der Maler symphony performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy (recorded 1962) and the Symphonic Metamorphoses performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell (recorded 1964). Both are very fine performances, and for those on a budget the disc can be confidently recommended. But the 1960's Columbia/CBS sound of these recordings, while perfectly acceptable, simply cannot compete with the demonstration-class sound of the Blomstedt recording, which is much richer, fuller, with greater clarity and delineation of detail.

Both CDs offer a filler, and both fillers are well chosen and entirely appropriate. In the case of Blomstedt, it's Hindemith's brief (8:38), touching Trauermusik for viola and orchestra, a piece he wrote on very short order (in six hours!) for the BBC after the death of King George V in 1936 (he played the viola part too). In the case of Ormandy/Szell, it's Walton's varied and colorful Variations on a Theme by Hindemith, a longer work (22:45) of Walton's later years (1963), played by the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell (1964). Both are attractive works, but the Walton is the more substantial.

I would pay 50 dollars for this recording. I might pay more. Simply put this is the best rendition of Mathis and Symphonic Metamorphasis ever put to tape. The recording of Mathis is actually brilliant, with the brass and strings creating some of the best music ever heard on cd. I was almost in tears the first time I heard these recordings years ago. I lost my copy and have recently purchased this recording used. Again, I stress, this is the best recording of these pieces you are likely to find.
Some of the finest brass playing ever! Has an edge but never does one get a sense of the homogonized whole ever being lost... at times sounding like an organ. I would reccomend this as one of the top five recordings I have ever owned... and I own somewhere over five hundred discs. Happy hunting and good luck!

The pacing for all these works is very good and while the speed of the Mathis der Maler seemed a bit fast to me I compared it to Hindemith's own 1933 recording and discovered it wasn't much faster even though this recording of Mathis is faster than the 1950s version of the symphony Hindemith recorded. The livelier tempi serve the music better and the engineering is pretty good. I've got a soft spot for Hindemith interpreting his own work but Blomstedt's recording here is the best version I've heard so far whether for engineering, balance of orchestral sound, pacing, and general interpretation.

If you like the use of brass in orchestral works, than put this CD at the top of your list. Here is an excellent combination of brassy works, with both Mathis der Maler and Symphonic Metamorphosis included. Blomstedt holds nothing back, emotionally, and yet, the works are precisely played. Crank up the volume on March from Symphonic Metamorphosis and enjoy! This is not to take away from the rest of the performances on this CD, as the playing is stirring throughout.

I have Blomstedt's "Mathis," and I like it. But it seems more expert and competent, and well-recorded, than it is deeply felt or insightful. Rickenbacker's recording on Virgin is still available (from Amazon and elsewhere), and while the orchestral playing is just below the highest standard, I prefer it for a more atmospheric performance with deeper moods. The best of all is Steinberg's recording on the DGG label, which was later released on a budget line, and perhaps can still be found. This is perhaps the closest I've heard to Hindemith's own 1930's recording, and despite it's 1970's vintage, features a virtuosity and tonal beauty, combined with elegance, communicativeness, and drama in a way no others really match. Jiri Belohlavek's recording on Chandos is also one I'd probably pick over Blomdstedt's, and Bernstein's and Horenstein's recrodings also deserve a favorable mention. Chandos has an excellent line of Hindemith recordings led by Tortelier. His Nobilissima Visione is more deeply felt than Blomstedt's (or any other I've heard) and beautifully recorded, as are his other Hindemith recordings on that label

This is one of the finest performances of the "Symphonic Metamorphosis" I've ever heard: beautifully paced with well-judged tempi, and outstandingly precise, warm playing from the orchestra, including sensational work from the brass. This piece can sound pompous in the wrong hands, but Blomstedt makes it vivid and fresh, and the crisp sound reproduction makes every glittering detail audible. The second movement's tangy percussion has perhaps never sounded so immediate, and the final "March" carries shockwaves in its wake.

"Mathis der Maler" is also excellent, again with outstanding playing by the orchestra. And in between, Blomstedt includes a heartfelt rendition of "Trauermusik," with glowing playing by violist Geraldine Walther, and the closing -- a Bach-based chorale -- immensely moving.

This composer seems much-maligned in recent years, but here is an outstanding example of some of his better work, performed with ear-catching vigor and intensity, and presented in utterly spectacular sound. If you're going to explore Hindemith's work, you could not ask for a better start than this recording.

The Blomstedt interpretation of the Symphonic Metamorphosis is simply the best. The Allegro and March are rousing, energetic, and very exciting. The Turandot is well executed and playful. The Andantino is beautiful with excellent flute soloist. I have not heard a better recording yet. Blomstedt really knew what Hindemith wanted out of this great piece. Highly recommended.

Mathis der Maler and Trauermusik were also very well done.

Another superb release from Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony, this may just be the top choice for Hindemith's `Mathis der Maler' symphony; especially since Decca's wide-stage sound is superbly clear and vivid as well. I have never heard Mathis der Maler as profoundly moving or powerful as this - here we get almost apocalyptic visions and a performance that looks deeper into the abyss, and soars higher into the heavens, than any other. The Angelic Concert is profoundly moving, and the Temptations of St. Anthony is almost staggeringly powerful - a performance not to be missed under any circumstance.

The Trauermusik for viola and strings is wonderfully moving, and Geraldine Walther's viola playing is beautifully warm and gorgeously phrased. In the Symphonic Metamorphosis of themes by Carl Maria von Weber' the playing is energetic and defiant yet often beautiful, but in this one it is perhaps possible to imagine a few more genuine smiles. Nevertheless, the orchestral playing is first-class throughout, vigorous but colorful, and every detail seems to be carefully considered. A truly outstanding release, then, urgently recommended.

Beautifully played and recorded, this one. Lots of dynamics in Mathis der Maler, subtly performed. Trauermusik is my favourite piece though, with a mourning viola, tugging at the heart strings, playing its melodies just perfectly.
A must-have for Hindemith lovers.

This is not only the finest Hindemith recording, and the finest San Francisco Symphony/Blomstedt issue. This might actually be the finest orchestral recording ever made. The repertoire, interpretation, performance, and engineering are all exemplary. I own thousands of orchestral recordings, but this is still the gold standard. Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" Symphony may well be the finest 20th Century symphony, too. (Again, more platitudes, but I actually mean it!)