Bruno Walter: Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chorus Amsterdam
Conducted by Bruno Walter

2. Symphony No. 4 in G major
Composed by Gustav Mahler
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chorus Amsterdam with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Conducted by Bruno Walter

3. Don Juan, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 20
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chorus Amsterdam
Conducted by Bruno Walter

4. Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Composed by Johannes Brahms

Conducted by Bruno Walter

Tracks:

Sym in g, K.550: Movt 1. Molto Allegro - Concg O/Bruno Walter
Sym in g, K.550: Movt 2. Andante - Concg O/Bruno Walter
Sym in g, K.550: Movt 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Concg O/Bruno Walter
Sym in g, K.550: Movt 4. Allegro Assai - Concg O/Bruno Walter
Sym No.4 in G: Movt 1. Bedachtig. Nicht - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Sym No.4 in G: Movt 2. In Gemachlicher Bewegung - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Sym No.4 in G: Movt 3. Ruhevoll - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Sym No.4 in G: Movt 4. Sehr Behaglich - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Tracks:

Don Juan - Concg O/Bruno Walter
Sym No.4 in e, Op.98: Movt 1. Allegro Non Troppo - Phil-SO/Bruno Walter
Sym No.4 in e, Op.98: Movt 2. Andante Moderato - Phil-SO/Bruno Walter
Sym No.4 in e, Op.98: Movt 3. Allegro Giocoso - Phil-SO/Bruno Walter
Sym No.4 in e, Op.98: Movt 4. Allegro Energico Passionato - Phil-SO/Bruno Walter

Customer Reviews:

A legendary performance!.......2007-02-27

Among the innumerable artistic feats in Bruno Walter's career, we should remind his invaluable contribution with this legendary thousand carats Orchestra, the Concertgebouw.of Amsterdam. Both factors enhanced one each other to shine with majestic intensity and superb expression in these historical performances.

You should not miss these anthological musical treasures.

This makes sense.......2003-04-03

The opening bar of Mahler's 4th is always very revealing as to what follows. The 'silly' bell pling-pling followed by the strings playing the first major theme. I say silly because the do sound silly - well in most recordings. Most conductors fail to get the idea, the bells are not put in context but often merely played as a little introduction to the main string theme and totally lacking in coherence.

Not even a seasoned Mahlerian like Szell understood this. Nor Boulez (but there is so much about Mahler he fails to understand!).

But listen to Walter --- the bells ringing in the theme. Followed by the inclination of the strings, as if an invitation to dance. Walter knew what he was doing. The purpose and the spirit of this music. Schwarzkopf does not let us down either.

Walter's Mellow Spirit.......2001-08-07

"American Record Guide" recently updated their "Mahler Overview," with a surprising consensus that Bruno Walter was not the one to unlock the musical secrets of his friend and mentor. "Chacun à son goût," as the French say. Walter emphasized the lyrical, the Schubertian side of Mahler, leaving the modernism and the deepest "Angst" to his immediate successors - Mitropoulos and Bernstein. More than anyone else, Walter argued Mahler's case in the concert-hall and pioneered in recording the symphonies. His Vienna recording of the Ninth Symphony, taken from concert in 1938, is one of the great phonographic documents, as is his Vienna performance of "Das Lied von der Erde" from two years earlier. For Columbia, beginning in 1947, Walter made a spate of Mahler sets, including the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Symphonies and two recordings of "Das Lied," the second of them in stereo. Columbia had scheduled him to record the Third Symphony, but he died before this could happen. Aside from the commercial recordings, a large number of broadcast archives have come to light, to be issued by different companies, of Walter doing Mahler. The chief attraction on the new Music and Arts set, devoted mainly to a 1952 program with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, is Mahler's Fourth, with Elisabeth Schwarkopf delivering the vocal solo in the Finale. The other items in the set are Mozart's Symphony K 550 and Strauss' "Don Juan." As a substantial filler on Disc 2, we get a New York Philharmonic performance of Brahms' Fourth from 1951. (For legal reasons the notes list the band as "the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra.") The Walter/Mahler 4 discography looks like this: *With Debi Halban, NYPO, 1945 (Sony) [Commercial Recording] *With Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, CBO, 1951 (M&A) [From Transcription Discs] *With Irmgard Seefried, NYPO, 1953 (M&A) [From Off-Air (FM) Magnetic Tape] *With Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Vienna Philharmonic, 1960 (M&A [nla]) My unqualified ranking of these would be: first, the NYPO 1953 performance with Seefried; second, the NYPO 1947 commercial issue with Halban; third, the 1951 CBO performance with Schwarzkopf; and fourth, the 1960 "Farewell Concert" from Vienna. But it's not so simple. The 1952 Amsterdam performance certainly equals, and perhaps surpasses, either New York performance in orchestral terms; the Dutch players knew this work from having played it with Willem Mengelberg many times and they respond to Walter with autumnal nostalgia. The Concertgebouw strings bring a richer sound to the score than their Manhattan counterparts of some five years earlier. One must say, however, that Schwarzkopf misunderstands what her part requires, and that she sings as though addressing herself to an operatic role. She burdens both Walter's Vienna Philharmonic "Farewell" and the Klemperer EMI stereo recording in the same way. If only we had the Amsterdam reading in the FM quality sound of New York 1953 and with Seefried instead of Schwarzkopf! Even so, the Walter-Amsterdam performance is worth having and makes this set desirable; nor is it sonically objectionable in Maggie Payne's re-mastering. The slow movement endears itself especially, being infused with unembarrassed sentiment. The Mozart and Strauss items are both well-played and the Strauss, particularly, seems outstanding. (Listen to the CBO horns!) The 1951 New York Brahms Fourth is a powerful performance that looks forward to Walter's late-in-life stereo recording with the "Columbia Symphony" for CBS, one of the best ever. Walter fans should not pass up this attractively presented Music and Arts release. The booklet could supply more information than it does about the Concertgebouw program, but that's a minor criticism.

Mellow Performances from the Saint of the Baton.......2001-08-06

Average customer rating:

A must for Bruno Walter fans!
Essential recordings
Over-priced, under-powered, and incomplete
Great Presentation for Great Performances

Famous Mahler & Bruckner Symphonies

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 / Karl Böhm
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler: Symphonies 1-10; Das Lied von der Erde
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ASIN: B0002CHK9A
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

I. Langsam. Schleppend. Wie Ein Naturlaut. Im Anfang Sehr Gemachlich
II. Kraftig Bewegt, Doch Nicht Zu Schnell
III. Feierlich Und Gemessen, Ohne Zu Schleppen
IV. Sturmisch Bewegt - Energisch

Tracks:

I. Allegro Maestoso - Westminster Choir
II. Andante Moderato - Westminster Choir
III. (Scherzo). In Ruhig Fliessender Bewegung - Westminster Choir
IV. 'Urlicht.' Sehr Feierlich, Aber Schlicht - Westminster Choir
V. In Tempo Des Scherzos. Wild Herausfahrend - Westminster Choir

Tracks:

I. Bedachtig. Nicht Eilen - Desi Halban
II. In Gemachlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast - Desi Halban
III. Ruhevoll - Desi Halban
IV. Sehr Behaglich - Desi Halban

Tracks:

I. Trauermarsch. In Gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie Ein Kondukt
II. Sturmisch Bewegt. Mit Grosster Vehemenz
III. Scherzo. Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell
IV. Adagietto. Sehr Langsam
V. Rondo-Finale. Allegro

Tracks:

Errinerung
Scheiden Und Meiden
Nicht Wiedersehen!
Ich Ging Mit Lust Durch Einen Grunen Wald
Ablosung Im Sommer
Hans Und Grethe
Starke Einbildungskraft
Starke Einbildungskraft
Wenn Mein Schatz Hochzeit Macht - Mildred Miller
Ging Heut Morgen Ubers Feld - Mildred Miller
Ich Hab Ein Gluhend Messer - Mildred Miller
Die Zwei Blauen Augen Von Meinem Schatz - Mildred Miller

Tracks:

I. Andante Comodo
II. In Tempo Eines Gemachlichen Landlers. Etwas Tappisch Und Sehr Derb
III. Rondo-Burleske. Allegro Assai. Sehr Trotzig

Tracks:

IV. Adagio. Sehr Langsam Und Noch Zuruckhaltend
A Working Portrait
A Talking Portrait

Tracks:

I. Das Trinklied Vom Jammer Der Erde. Allegro Pesante - Ernst Haefliger
II. Der Einsame In Herbst. Etwas Schleichend. Ermudet - Ernst Haefliger
III. Von Der Jugend. Behaglich Heiter - Ernst Haefliger
IV. Von Der Schonheit. Comodo. Dolcissimo - Ernst Haefliger
V. Der Trunkene Im Fruhling. Allegro - Ernst Haefliger
VI. Der Abschied. Schwer - Ernst Haefliger

Tracks:

I. Bewegt, Nicht Zu Schnell
II. Andante Quasi Allegretto
III. Scherzo. Bewegt - Trio. Nicht Zu Schnell. Keinesfalls Schleppend - Scherzo
IV. Finale. Bewegt, Doch Nicht Zu Schnell

Tracks:

Overture & Bacchanale (Venusburg Music) - The Occidental College Concert Choir
Prelude To Act I
Overture
Prelude To Act I
Good Friday Music (Karfreitagszauber)

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio. Sehr Feierlich Und Sehr Langsam
III. Scherzo. Sehr Schnell
IV. Finale. Bewegt, Doch Nicht Schnell

Tracks:

Overture To Act I
Siegfried
Bruno Walter Rehearses The Siegfried

Tracks:

I. Feierlich, Misterioso
II. Scherzo: Bewegt, Lebhaft - Trio. Schnell
III. Adagio. Langsam, Feierlich
I. Te Deum. Allegro Moderato
II. Te Ergo. Moderato
III. Aeterna Fac. Allegro. Moderato. Feierlich, Mit Kraft
IV. Salvum Fac. Moderato
Per Singulos Dies Benedicimus Te. Allegro Moderato
V. In Te, Domine, Speravi. MaBig Bewegt
In Te, Domine, Speravi. Fuge. Im Gleichen GemaBigten Tempo - Alla Breve

Customer Reviews:

A must for Bruno Walter fans!.......2007-06-30

Sony's "Original jacket edition" of Bruno Walter's recordings of Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner is a must for his fans. Walter (1876-1962) recorded many works in stereo for Columbia records in the 1957-61 time frame, some of which are included here: Mahler Symphonies 1, 2, 9; Bruckner Symphonies 4, 7, 9; Mahler's song cycle "Das lied von der erde" ; and Wagner Overtures and Preludes, Siegfried Idyll, and rehearsal of Siegfried Idyll. Walter conducts the New York Philharmonic in Mahler 2, Das Lied...; and the Columbia Symphony (Los Angeles, California) in Mahler 1 and 9; the Bruckner items and Wagner Overtures and preludes. Also included in this collection are Walter's earlier New York Philharmonic (mono) recordings of Mahler's Symphony 4 (1945) and Symphony 5 (1947) + lieder with Desi Halban, accompanied by Walter at the piano.
This is the only current release of Walter's Wagner Overtures and Preludes, which sound terrific: I bought this for those items alone.

Walter studied with Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and knew him well from 1894 until Mahler's untimely death in 1911. Walter was age 18-35 at the time, and though not considered the only authoritative voice of interpretation of Mahler's orchestral works by everyone, he knew the Mahler personally, which says ALOT to me!

Sound in all the stereo recordings is excellent, and very good in the mono
Mahler 4 and 5. Walter's sense of line and climax are un-erring, and I always feel great after listening to these recordings. They have a "This is the way it should be" feel about them.

The CD jackets are mini reproductions of the original LP covers, and add a nice feel to the collection. There is ALOT of music here for the money, even if buying this means duplicating some of Walter's recordings from his earlier Odyssey and Bruno Walter Edition (Sony Classical) releases. Highly recommended.

Essential recordings.......2007-03-11

This somewhat over-priced but essential box contains a collection of Bruno Walter's Columbia recordings of Gustav Mahler's symphonies, nos. 1 (stereo), 2 (stereo), 4 (mono), 5 (mono), 9 (stereo), and Das Lied von der Erde (stereo). In addtion, we find a sample of Walter's Mahler symphony 9 rehearsal, a short Walter-Michaelis discussion on Mahler, and a selection of Mahler's Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit (mono) with Walter at the piano, next to Desi Halban.

It collects also Walter's recordings of some of the Bruckner symphonies, nos. 4, 7, 9, and the Te Deum (all in stereo).

Finally, there are also some of Walter's recordings of Wagner music included - some overtures and introductions, the Good Friday Music from Parsifal, and a wonderful Siegfried Idyll (all in stereo).

All this stuff has already been available in separate sets, but some of them are out of print.

There is a much cheaper way to get the Mahler recordings: they have, with the exception of Das Lied von der Erde, been released in a bargain "Columbia Legends" box ($37.99). But the Das Lied von der Erde - the present box include the excellent Columbia stereo version with Haefliger and Miller - is out of print in the US and Europe. It is, however, available in Japan for 1.895 yen, so check amazon.jp if you look for that recording only.

Perhaps not a must for every serious collector, then, considering the high price. But all the recordings are essential, and the use of the original LP-covers is attractive (I have always considered the plastic CD-cases as a complete mistake: they take too much shelf space), even if the box that collects them is one half inch too thick. You get Walter's groundbreaking mono recordings of Mahler's fourth and fifth, in fine transfers and original covers, coupled with his excellent stereo recordings from the early sixties, all of which still must be seen as reference recordings. This holds for the Bruckner recordings as well. This box is presently the easiest and shelf-space saving way to get them all. So I recommend buying it used, at a more reasonable price.

Over-priced, under-powered, and incomplete.......2005-11-26

Sony Music USA must be dedicated to the notion that in a crisis -- and classical CD sales are in a crisis, as their numbers (and the available retail outlets in which to sell them) spiral downward -- one shouldn't just stand there, but DO something. In this instance, with The Original Jackets Collection: Bruno Walter/Famous Mahler and Bruckner Symphonies, they've tried to do something, sort of. But as is usually the case with Sony Music in America, they've done it half-assed. The whole "original jackets" concept seems to be an effort to emulate what several Japanese labels have done with considerable success, reselling long-established classic recordings by artists ranging from Erroll Garner to Elvis Presley in miniature LP sleeve packaging, usually with state-of-the-art digital sound (20 bit/K2 and 24-bit mastering are the twin standards in Japan); Sony-Japan has done it with considerable success on artists such as Miles Davis and Al Kooper. So the US "original jackets" series was co-opting a Japanese success, but not really -- the series is totally inconsistent when it comes to upgrading sound, which is a major part of the allure of the Japanese mini-LPs; the Szell Beethoven entry was upgraded from the previously existing CD issues in the US, for example, but the Bernstein entry uses the same masters that one can get on the existing US CDs; and the same goes for the Walter set. To top it off, Sony-Japan includes a mini-inner sleeve to protect its discs with each mini-LP, whereas Sony's US division apparently likes the idea of discs rolling out of the double-LP mini-jackets and otherwise getting scratched and damaged -- but they still charge a premium price per disc on these releases.
And the Walter box, in addition to simply re-packaging the same masters that have been available for a lot less money since 1996, isn't even complete when it comes to the conductor's Mahler recordings for the label -- where is his 1955 mono Mahler Symphony No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic? There are other mono and stereo recordings in here with the Philharmonic as well as the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and a perfectly good master of the "missing" performance exists, as it was used in the Masterworks Heritage CD release (which also used the mini-LP concept, a little differently) about eight years ago. Additionally, at least one of the performances here, of the Bruckner 9th, has been upgraded in a separate release, using Sony's DSD technology -- why not at least include that, and why not upgrade the entire body of music, if they expect us to buy it anew? That's how it's done in Japan, whence this whole idea originated. In fact, since Sony is bent on trying to sell Super-Audio CD technology, why not bump these up to that technology as hybrid discs? The answer is that they did it on the cheap. It's a handsome looking box, to be sure, and some of the old cover art was worth reviving (and others, such as for the Mahler 5th, much less so), but it's not worth the $150 list price by a long shot, which was why this listener traded for a used copy.

Great Presentation for Great Performances.......2004-08-10

First off, avid collectors may already have many of these Bruno Walter recordings in their possession so take note of what you have and see if you want to duplicate your collection....I for one had no problem doing so because I felt that the early Sony transfers of many of these great performances were not up to par as the sound quality is greatly improved in these performances to make it a worthwhile investment for me....mind you, these recordings are mono and early stereo, so we are not talking about high fidelity here, but the older performances are not hampered by the sound quality... Bruno Walter, who knew Gustav Mahler personally, provides some of the finest accounts of Mahler's symphonies...Walter concentrated his conducting on the symphonies presented here, as he was not one to perform the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th, frequently, if at all...but what you are getting will demonstrate the clean lines, and sensible tempi that many later day conductors ignored...Das Lied Von Der Erde is an excellent account, and it is a treat to have Walter as an accompianist at the piano for a selction of Mahler' songs....Walter's granatic Bruckner is also included and it was a clever move by the producers of this set to include the Te Deum on the same disc as the Symphony #9... Bruckner was never able to complete the fourth movement of his 9th Symphony and so he had authorized the use of his Te Deum to serve as a final movement to the work...Now most people will agree that the 3 movement unfinished symphony is excellent in it's own right, and there was really no need to go beyond the fantastic and heavenly Adagio that closes the work, but having the Te Deum follow, allows you to experience what Bruckner consented to as an alternative...hey, you can always exclude the track if you so desire....the addition of the Te Deum to this collection shows that record producers do listen to criticism....when the first releases of the ORIGINAL JACKET series came out, they adhered to the concept to the letter, which resulted in most of the CD's being very short in playing time..this was roundly booed by some circles who felt that the editions were too expensive, for reissues, to begin with, and the short playing times made the matter worse...afterall, an LP can only hold about an hour of music, so the duplicate CD's were lacking at least 25-30 minutes of music...this reissue of Bruno Walter's Mahler and Bruckner recordings therefore provides a number of bonus tracks of Richard Wagner's music, including a 45 minute rehearsal of Bruno Walter performing the Siegfried Idyll (he speaks in English)....Of course the Original LP Jackets are great to see again and re-reading the liner notes (though not easy with the small print) was informative....one forgets how a single symphony could take 2 lps to house when we are so used to having everything on 1 cd... A note of caution!...the CD's stored in the 2 album sets are very loosely held within the cardboard case..if you are not careful, the cd's can roll out of the album case and find themselves landing in the kitty litter, boiling soup, or toilet, so keep this in mind when you handle the albums... So, should you buy this set?...If you have these performances in your collection then the obvious answer is no, unless you are like me, someone who likes to renew the packaging and sound quality of what I have, and sell off any dupes...If you are new to the Walter experience regarding Mahler, Bruckner, and Wagner, and you are not concerned about the price, then by all means you will not be disappointed by this set, as it will sit comfortably, as an alternate, next to the ultra passionate Bernstein's Mahler and other worldly experience of Giulini's Bruckner....if you are concerned about the price, you can avoid what some may call the "bells and whistles" of an overpriced set, and seek out these same performances separately for less money....Recommended as a specialty item but higly recommended none the less!

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: Mahler & Walter

Average customer rating:

Mahler's protege unveiled

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: Mahler & Walter

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mahler: Symphony No.5

ASIN: B00007E8SO
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Album Description

This four-CD set presents unique performances of symphonies and orchestral lieder by Gustav Mahler, with Bruno Walter leading the Vienna Philharmonic. Containing previously unreleased recordings, this collection features the Fourth Symphony and orchestral lieder with Hilde Güden; the Second Symphony ("Resurrection") with Maria Cebotari and Rosette Anday; and Das Lied von der Erde with Kathleen Ferrier and Julius Patzak, a performance captured a day after the completion of the famous Decca recording. As a direct disciple of Mahler, Bruno Walter had a special authority and affinity with the composer's works, particularly Das Lied von der Erde. The accompanying 168-page booklet contains a wealth of period photos, as well as a preface by renowned Mahler biographer Henry-Louis de La Grange, an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Page, and in-depth essays by producer Gottfried Kraus ("Mahler, Walter and Vienna"), former VPO violinist Otto Strasser ("Bruno Walter! and the Vienna Philharmonic"), and Bruno Walter authority Erik Ryding ("Gustav Mahler and Bruno Walter: A Musical Friendship").

Customer Reviews:

Mahler's protege unveiled.......2004-02-28

Bruno Walter was Gustav Mahler's protege and confidant, the man that carried his music forward from Mahler's 1911 death another half-century into the stereo era. Until rich businessman Gilbert Kaplan came along and made the "Resurrection" symphony his specialty, Bruno Walter was the unquestioned leader in Mahler recordings and is still our only direct link to the composer.

That link is displayed here in three of Mahler's most famous works -- the 2nd and 4th symphonies and "Das Lied von der Erde". This "Resurrection" symphony is more dramatic, biting and fervent than Walter's late life stereo version for Sony.

He displays the traditional Germanic tendency to vary the musical pulse within the first movement's development section. This is a tempestuous version interspersed, when appropriate, with the pastoral flavor Mahler felt when composing this opus at an Austrian lake.

The 1948 sound is boxy but has very good bass response. The timpani and lower strings come through fine with no obvious distortion in big moments. It is not perfectly clear but more than acceptable by any standard.

The Vienna Philharmonic was having a good day during this performance, taken from Austrian radio, with all members up to the important task. The singing of alto Rosette Anday is good, even though she is flat at the beginning of "Urlicht" and slides several times, while the work of soprano Maria Cobetari is wonderful.

The 4th symphony, recorded in 1955, is even better and more universally Mahlerian than the 2nd. This is music where Walter's sense of beauty, proportion and humanity meld perfectly with the nature-driven score. Hilde Gulden sings the heaven music and contributes three Mahler songs captured at the same November 5, 1955 performance in the Great Hall of the Musikverein.

The May 1952 recording of "Song of the Earth" with contralto Kathleen Ferrier and tenor Julius Patzak is in every way a peer of their famous studio collaboration. Certainly it made sense for this team to perform the music live that May 17, a day after making their historic recording.

All told, this set helps 21st Century listeners more fully understand the connection between Bruno Walter and Gustav Mahler that must have existed early in the 20th Century when Mahler was conducting these scores in Vienna and New York. This recorded tribute must then be considered near definitive for everything herein, even though I've heard many better songs from later recordings.

As is their custom, Andante surrounds the 4 CD pack with 166 pages of notes, photos and collectibles in three languages and hardcover front and back. A true collector's item for any Mahler addict.

The Vienna Farewell Concerto: Bruno Walter

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The Vienna Farewell Concerto: Bruno Walter

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007SMD5U
Release Date: 2005-01-01

Average customer rating:

Walter: Schubert/Mahler

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006KF6
Release Date: 1993-11-01

Average customer rating:

A golden and diamantine collection!

150 Years (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E52A
Release Date: 1992-02-11

Customer Reviews:

A golden and diamantine collection! .......2006-03-10

This is a very fortunate and treasured sets of historical performances, made with this First Order Orchestra due the celebration of its 150th Anniversary.

When Leonard Bernstein crossed over the Atlantic Ocean to record these works, a new and powerful inspiration loaded his spirit and intellect. The Haydn `s 102 is top notch, enhancing to my mind his famous recorded set with New York Philharmonic. The Ravel Piano Concerto is extraordinarily showy and sensual; vitality and inventive freshness permeate this curious recordings.

Kraus gave one of the milestone performances of Beethoven `s Mass, while Karl Bohm will surprise you with the admirable reading of Arnold Schoenberg' s Pelleas ever made. Sumptuous phrasing and expansive virtuosity of this Orchestra is carved in relief, but Richard Strauss' Tod und Verklärung Op. 24 will leave you absolutely astonished.

Fürtwangler gave us one his most reminded versions of Leonore III as well his notable version of Brahms Second.

Bruckner 's Eighth finds in Karajan a good choice, in spite of the fact Mr. K is far to be my favorite conductor.

The jewel of the crown is the enraptured Mahler ' s Fourth conducted by Bruno Walter in a live performance in 1955.

In sum, the undeniable relevance of these legendary recordings are far beyond all descriptive adjectives. Go for this jeweled album. You will listen it over and over due its majestic realization and historic transcendence.

Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit

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Exuberant reading!
The first and still the best

Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mahler: Symphony No.5
Mahler: Symphonies No. 1 & No. 2; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

ASIN: B000002A7I
Release Date: 1995-01-24

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4: I. Bedachtig. Nicht eilen
Symphony No. 4: II. In gemachlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast
Symphony No. 4: III. Ruhevoll
Symphony No. 4: Sehr Behaglich
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Erinnerung
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Schneiden und Meiden
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Nicht wiedersehen!
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grunen Wald
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Ablosung im Sommer
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Hans und Grete
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Fruhlingsmorgen
'Lieder und Gesange aus der Jugendzeit': Starke Einbildungskraft

Customer Reviews:

Exuberant reading!.......2004-11-03

Since the late sixties(with the glorious exceptions of Rafael Kubelik and Hans Zender , fortunately) it seems to prevail to play Mahler music as if you were reading Proust 's memories .
So the orchestral executions own energy , precision and virtuosity . Neverheless these ornaments by themselves produce a dangerous combination of mannerism tedious and handsome results , lacking the exquisite flowing , the arresting tonal color , the candor homesickness , the active memory feed and involved for the accurate employement of the light and shadow , so perfectly suggested in the score .
Specially when you decide to perform the Fourth , characterized for brilliant and suggestive melodic lines whose right direction is born from a deep conviction , commitment and knowledge of the meaning of the term : late romanticism . In this sense you may involuntarily draw the performance of beautiness , incisiveness and elegance , but without nuance , dark poetry or even worst the sinister lyricism that demand the score .
Bruno Walter knew impregnate the orchestra of these fundamental elements and won the challenge . He gave the performance the adequate between rage and peace , lyricism and horror , light and shadow , making it breathe and making us participant of that experience .
The main difficult of playing Mahler with success is sumerge in deep waters , where the linearity is precisely absent .
Walter made simply the most idiomatic , powerful and convincing recording of this work.
A real file treasure.

The first and still the best.......2001-10-12

If you can get past the 1940s monaural sound (and if you are not already familiar with this performance, you will get a shock. This is the gentlest, most right sounding rendition I have ever heard. The tempi are uncommonly brisk, though they never sound that way. The third movement has never sounded more beautiful. Halban is perfect in the finale. Walter passed away before he could record this work in stereo. His later performances were very different and I'm still not sure whether or not his later slower tempos and even greater expression were an improvement. Did Mahler perform the work this way? I don't know. I only wish I did. I can say that this and Mengleberg's performance have to be heard to be believed. Of the two, Walter's sounds the most convincing, however if the notoriously unreliable Alma can be believed, in this symphony, Mengleberg's reading was (at least in the 1900s if not in 1939) just like Mahler's own. Push comes to shove, if I could own just one Mahler Fourth, this would be it. Lovers of modern sound, must go elsewhere.

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Bruno Walter Conducts Symphony 4
Mahler , Walter , Stader , Fno , and Vpo
Manufacturer: Classica D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Bedachtig-Nicht Eilen
In Gemachlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast
Ruhevoll
Sehr Behaglich
Siegfried Idyll - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

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The best of Dr Walter's recordings of this work

Mahler: Symphony No4; Strauss: Don Juan

Manufacturer: Urania
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005090X
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Customer Reviews:

The best of Dr Walter's recordings of this work.......2001-10-14

This is a live recording made by Austrian Radio during the 1950 Salzburg Festival. It is a very successful occasion, from the experienced hands of a long-standing champion of Mahler's works, reacquainted, after a 10-year hiatus prompted by the Nazi occupation of Austria, with an orchestra he had worked and recorded with for over three decades. Recordings of Mahler's symphonies from Bruno Walter and Otto Klemperer deservedly raise listeners' interest because they provide a unique link to the composer, both having worked as his direct assistants (but especially Walter) during the first decade of the 20th Century. And the two of them enjoyed sufficiently long life spans as to be able to record much of their music, a surprising amount of it in modern stereo sound (more so Klemperer than Walter, though, and in generally better conditions). Of the three recordings of Mahler's 4th symphony I know with Walter conducting, only the 1947 one, made for what was then known as Columbia Records in the USA (later CBS Records and currently Sony Classics) and with the New York Philharmonic is a studio effort, but is marred by inferior sound quality and a defficient soprano soloist (Desi Halban). The other two feature the Vienna Philharmonic, such as in this 1950 one and in the "Farewell to the Vienna Philharmonic" concert of ten years later, a reading in which viennese sentimentality occasionally escapes control (perhaps prompted by the occasion itself, as Walter, who died in 1962, would never conduct his beloved VPO again). But this Salzburg effort is a most especial one, one of those occasions in which everything goes well, even the sound take itself (mono of course and in spite of some overmodulation of upper string tone and an absurd microphone closeness of Seefried in the 4th movement, that's why I don't rate it a 5-star recording), attendees' coughs and all. Here Walter handles more successfully than ever the work's multifaceted aspects and his use of the elasticity of tempo that was one of his features is indeed masterful. The presence of Irmgard Seefried is a great plus, as she is caught here in the full height of her powers, a glorious lieder singer if there ever was one. Her phrase shading, the chiaroscuro with which her lines in the 4th movement are projected are fully supported by a conductor that, albeit several generations older than she, "clicked in" perfectly (in the 1960 recording, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf couldn't achieve a similar result). Indeed, when Walter, a famously steadfast and fastidious man (in spite of his fame to the contrary) found a singer with whom this "click" materialised, the results were definitely for posterity (witness this performance and the Ferrier recordings of MAhler's works for both EMI and Decca). There are a couple of orchestral imperfections here and there which of course would have been corrected had this been a studio recording (or a commercially planned live one), but they can be perfectly ignored. This deserves a place in the collection of every person interested in this composer, the conductor or the history of orchestral playing (after half a century, the contrasts with modern practices are very instructive and interesting!).

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