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You are looking at the first, faltering steps toward a complete
overhaul of this site. When (when!) it is complete, this page will
have much more information than the previous version.
In the meantime the following recordings are well worth checking out:
Symphony No.2
The 1965 Klemperer BRSO now officially released by EMI in good sound;
a superb performance.
Symphony No.3
BBC Legends have released a Hallé/Barbirolli performance which
outshines his BPO live account. The only shortcoming is that JB speeds
up during the final pages...
Symphony No.4
Donald Clarke's Chief Records' transfer of Horenstein's 1970 4th is a
revelation and shows a great performance which had been lurking under
lousy LP sound. A performance which shgows the darker side (yes there
is one) of Mahler 4 and which for me ranks right alongside...
Paul Kletzki's 1957 EMI account with the great Philharmonia Orchestra,
almost certainly one of the late-lamented Dennis Brain's last
recordings. Kletzki allows the music to speak for itself (easier said
than done) and the result is simply delectable.
Symphony No.5
Frank Shipway's RPO account (Tring, if you can find it) is at budget
price, but don't let that put you off hearing this superb performance.
Symphony No.8
At last BBC Legends have officially released the legendary 1959
Horenstein performance in extraordinarily improved sound. Despite
occasional infelicities (a spectacularly unfortunate trumpet clam at
the beginning of the coda to part I, rather backwardly balanced
soloists) for me this trumps the lot.
For the 8th there is Horenstein and there is the rest.
Symphony No.10
The action has really hotted up here: Rattle has rerecorded the Cooke
II edition with his new band, the BPO. Perhaps it complements rather than
supersedes his Bournemouth account.
Meanwhile we now have recordings of Remo Mazzetti's version (a
lacklustre Slatkin on RCA, Mazzetti has now withdrawn this version and
is working on another), Clinton Carpenter's (an even more lacklustre
recording by Fabermann on Golden Strings, hard to find and harder to
like when found) and most recently Joe Wheeler's.
Wheeler's is the least "interventionist" edition of all, arguably the
finest and Robet Olsen's MahlerFest performance would be accounted a
great one even with the added interest of this particular
edition. Olsen has just recorded it for Naxos.
Stay tuned...
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