Mahler

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Herbert von Karajan made a studio recording of the Ninth with the Berlin Philharmonic that appeared in 1981, but he was apparently dissatisfied with it and pressed for this remake, recorded at a performance during the Berlin Festival Weeks of 1982. The result is one of the finest of all his achievements--a riveting account of this great work that blazes with a visionary intensity from first bar to last. There is grip and majesty here, sovereign control over the Mahler's vast canvas, but also an extraordinary "of the moment" quality that is unusual in Karajan's discography. The sound on this recent "Karajan Gold" remastering is excellent. --Ted Libbey

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Abbado continues his Mahler cycle with this fine Sixth, a live recording that Mahlerians will want for its forwarding-moving flow reminiscent of Kubelik's excellent recordings of the work. Abbado is especially fine in the Andante, here placed before the Scherzo, unlike his first, 1970s recording with the Chicago Symphony. His refusal to linger and his molding of the Andante's melodic lines make it one of the best available recordings of this section of the massive work. The Berlin strings shine here, as they do throughout the Symphony; only the lower brass disappoint somewhat as they sound a bit lightweight when compared with Chailly's Concertgebouw Orchestra. Many will prefer Bernstein's more-overt emotionalism, but the famous hammer blows in the last movement have tremendous impact. Like many other conductors Abbado omits the third blow (which Mahler eliminated in his editing of the first version of the piece). In fact, that last movement is one of the set's highlights, well-played and abundantly detailed. In sum, one of the better Sixths in the catalogue. --Dan Davis

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Solti was an eminent Mahlerian, reveling in the dramatic sweep and power of the scores but also surprisingly sympathetic to their many delicate, sparely scored passages. The gigantic Eighth Symphony is perhaps Solti's finest Mahler recording. The opening outburst, "Veni, creator spiritus," is shattering in its impact, and the next 80 minutes are an emotionally wrenching trek across Mahler's vast musical landscape. Most conductors do well simply to hold together this gargantuan, often ungainly combination of symphony, oratorio, and sceneryless opera (Part II is a setting from Goethe's Faust). But Solti's conducting makes it work by maintaining tension throughout. He gets superb orchestral playing from the Chicago Symphony and inspires a great Viennese chorus and the best team of vocal soloists to record this work. Add outstanding engineering that, nearly three decades later, still yields demonstration-quality sound, and you get the best stereo Mahler Eighth in the catalog. --Dan Davis

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Folks who generally shy away from Boulez's Mahler ought to hear this performance. It's a whale of a good time, plain and simple. Far from being cold and analytical, the first movement positively glows with romantic warmth. Boulez is especially generous with the big retard leading to the first movement's climax, where the Chicago brass literally whoop it up, just as Mahler demands. The second movement is fast, but never lacking in charm, while the funeral march of the third movement has the right quality of cartoon ghoulishness. Good klezmer-like interludes, too, if not quite up to Kubelik's incomparable standard. Best of all, the finale positively blazes--no dragging, no underplayed climaxes--simply a blast from beginning to end. Indeed, it's hard to dismiss the notion that the usually cerebral Boulez is simply getting a naughty thrill letting his Chicagoans play the pants off of this most colorful of romantic symphonies. They've recorded it at least four times previously (for Giulini, Tennstedt, Solti, and Abbado), but this really is Chicago's best. Great sound, as well, with room-shaking bass. Take this to your local stereo store, play the last five minutes, and see if you can dim the lights in your neighborhood while you blow out some woofers. --David Hurwitz

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Just as the Payne/Elgar Symphony No. 3 is not Edward Elgar's definitive statement, Mahler did not complete his Symphony No. 10. He did, however, complete the first movement in full score and the second in short score, while he left incomplete sketches for the remainder. Had he lived, Mahler would almost certainly have shaped the material further. This means that the performance edition prepared by Deryck Cooke in the early 1960s is not a completion, it's an orchestration of the short score left at Mahler's death in 1911. It nevertheless sounds very "complete," both in itself and as a summation of the romantic-epic 19th century German musical tradition. Hereafter, the France of Debussy and Ravel would lead the musical world, and Stravinsky's 1913 Parisian premiere of The Rite of Spring would turn it upside-down. Simon Rattle has recorded a fine version with the CBSO. In 1980, Rattle conducted the Symphony No. 10 in a highly acclaimed performance with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and this later version with the Berlin Philharmonic offers even greater expressive control and power. The tempos are slightly slower and, inevitably, the performances more musically eloquent. The excellent live sound omits all but the faintest background noise, and the grave beauty of the Finale becomes a deeply moving testament to a world long-since gone. --Gary S. Dalkin

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This, Leonard Bernstein's first recording of the Ninth Symphony, has held up very well over time. Although it lacks the searing intensity in the finale of his later version with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, it's also a bit quicker generally, and in the middle movements even more exciting. As a single disc reissue at mid-price, there's no reason at all to hesitate. --David Hurwitz

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Here's a delightful coupling: Mahler's First Symphony and the song cycle that donated many of its themes to the larger work. Best of all, both performances are superb. Rafael Kubelik is the dark horse among Mahler conductors. His interpretations are always fresh, unforced, and seemingly without exaggeration. However, he knows how to build a climax, and his generally swift tempos never permit a minute's boredom. There are many moments to cherish in his performance of the symphony, not least the delicious woodwind playing and the tangy trumpets in the third movement's Fiddler on the Roof music. Reissued at midprice in excellently remastered sound--better than most new digitals in many respects--this is a performance that remains one of the best, and as a coupling it's unbeatable. --David Hurwitz

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"Beg to report safe delivery of a strong, healthy last movement to my Second. Father and child doing as well as can be expected." So ran Mahler's jubilant message on completion of his "Resurrection" Symphony, which after several years' painful gestation had come together in his mind with a sudden flash of inspiration. It had begun as a single-movement funeral rite, and gradually taken shape under the influence of Schubert's music, but the choral conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth was its Grail. Zubin Mehta's 25-year-old recording is a superb addition to the ranks of contending interpretations. It is lighter on its feet than Bernstein's classic version, with all the elements in Mahler's tonal landscape brought out in high relief: by turns lush, austere, grandiose, and intimate. Here is the Vienna Phil at its best, with two incomparable voices on the bridge--Christa Ludwig's steely mezzo and Ileana Cotrubas's soaring soprano. The "Legendary" on the cover is not hype: This is still as good as it gets. --Michael Church

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This 16-disc set contains what is without a doubt the most distinguished collection of Mahler performances ever to have been assembled in one place. DG has sensibly collected all of Bernstein's Mahler for Polygram labels, including the London "Das Lied von der Erde," and all of the orchestral song cycles: "Song of a Wayfarer," "Kindertotenlieder," "Rückert-Lieder," and "Des Knaben Wunderhorn." All of these recordings have been issued separately to general critical acclaim, and despite a veritable warehouse of new Mahler discs in the '90s, Bernstein's versions by and large still reign supreme. For this, his second complete symphony cycle, Bernstein chose three great orchestras and programmed with each one the most suitable symphonies. The New York Philharmonic, probably the greatest Mahler orchestra in the world, gets Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, and 7. The Vienna Philharmonic plays Nos. 5, 6, 10, and 8 (a live recording from the Salzburg Festival that replaces what would have been a New York Eighth had Bernstein not died). Finally, Europe's great Mahler orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, gets Nos. 1, 4, and 9. At mid-price, this is Mahler deluxe, an essential set for anyone interested in the composer, and a terrific gift idea if you're looking to make a convert or two. --David Hurwitz