Sym #9 (From the New World) / In Nature's Realm

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 9 in E minor ("From the New World," first published as No. 5), B. 178 (Op. 95)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak

Conducted by Karel Ancerl

2. In Nature's Realm (V prírode), concert overture, B. 168 (Op. 91)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak

Conducted by Karel Ancerl

3. Othello, concert overture, B. 174 (Op. 93)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak

Conducted by Karel Ancerl

Sym #9 (From the New World) / In Nature's Realm, Music, Dvorak, Ancerl Czech Phil, Classical, Classical Composers, Orchestral & Symphonic

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 [Hybrid SACD]
Average customer rating:

Passionate, Among The Swiftest Mahler 7th Symphony Recordings I've Heard

Not enough drama for highest rating

gets better as it goes, but earlier LSO one was better overall

Mixed bag but mainly on target

Reproducing Mahler

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: San Francisco Sym
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B66OQM
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Langsam
Nachtmusik l
Scherzo
Nachtmusik ll
Rondo-Finale

Amazon.com

Michael Tilson Thomas's Mahler cycle continues with this well-played Seventh. Once rarely heard, the work is becoming a regular recording and concert hall visitor. The San Francisco Symphony is in terrific form here, especially in the last movement, where the brass really bring down the house and the whole band keeps up with the conductor's tempo shifts and contrasts. The second Nachtmusik movement is a winner, with its odd combination of harp, guitar and mandolin and its characterful mood. The opening movement is a bit problematic, well-played but a bit too fast for comfort, but the Scherzo rocks. This version differs from MTT's excellent London Symphony recording made in 1999 earlier for RCA, which was free of some of the more idiosyncratic touches found here. But if you don't mind a first movement that never really adheres, you'll love this new one. For collectors of the series and SACD fans, it's a must-have, and all Mahlerites will want to hear MTT's latest thoughts on the work. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Passionate, Among The Swiftest Mahler 7th Symphony Recordings I've Heard.......2007-05-01

I haven't heard Michael Tilson Thomas's critically acclaimed earlier recording of this symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra, mainly because I have tended to underrate him as a conductor. However, here he demonstrates that he is a very good Mahler interpreter, offering a live performance recording of one of Mahler's least known symphonies, which thankfully, seems to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance in concert performances lately (I am referring for example to an electrifying interpretation from Riccardo Chailly and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra here in New York City which has been justly celebrated by local music critics.). Without a doubt, Thomas's interpretation is an exciting, quite passionate account, with ample fine playing from the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with the notable exception of the horns. It is an interpretation which should please audiophiles seeking the finest sound quality, and those who want a more expressionist interpretation of Mahler's score. However, my personal tastes are more neutral, opting for recordings from the likes of Haitink and Abbado, and especially Pierre Boulez's with The Cleveland Orchestra, which I still regard as the best recording of this symphony. So I can't recommend this recording as a primary, definitive interpretation of this work, but still think that it's a worthwhile acquisition for Mahler fans, and of course those interested in fine recordings made by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

Not enough drama for highest rating.......2007-03-24

Mahler's 7th was the first Mahler symphony I ever heard, more than 40 years ago. I fell in love with the music and it remains one of my all time favorites. I heard MTT conduct the 7th here in Miami about 10 years ago with the New World Symphony, a orchestra made up of recent conservatory graduates. That was a great performance. The reading here is a very good one but has many weaknesses. First of all, the tenor horn solos are not really that well played. Compared to the Haitink DVD with the Berlin Philharmonic, this player's tone is very weak. Then in many key moments in the first movement, the intensity of the music is simply not there. The 2nd and 3rd movements are much better but the lovely fourth movement lacks poetry. The finale is played extremely fast and again the drama is lacking, although it is very exciting. If you have SACD and really good equipment, you might want this recording for its outstanding sound but I would purchase the Haitink DVD and get the picture and a truly great performance at the same time. If you want a single CD version, Abbado/Chicago Symphony is excellent in every single movement.

gets better as it goes, but earlier LSO one was better overall.......2006-12-27

I live in S.F. bay area, and I've become quite disappointed in this series. The 7th is one of MTT's stronger ones, along with the 9th. Here, the finale is quite good, although no better than on the recent Barenboim/Berlin Staatskapelle (Warner) M7. For me, the two Nachtmusik movements really lack atmosphere. The first one, in particular, is really prosaic - capturing little if any of the mystery implied. The second Nachtmusik is better, but the guitar and mandolin are slightly too distant (far closer sounding on the more "serenade"-like Barenboim). Equally bothersome for me, is that the allegro (fast) passages of the first movement are just absurdly fast - almost to the breaking point. Wouldn't it have been better to save some of that breathless rushing for the finale? It's difficult to fully digest the first movement at such a lickity-split tempo, as both the harmony and counterpoint are fairly advanced and "rich"-sounding in this movement. I feel that Pierre Boulez's 23 minutes works far better for the first movement (MTT is closer to 20). Worse yet, there's little atmosphere to the centrally placed, "moonlit" episode that provides much needed relief from all that busy rushing about. Fortunately, things do get better from the scherzo on. However, I just feel that MTT's earlier LSO effort was more consistant from begining to end. I also think that it was somewhat better recorded. But among recent releases of the Mahler 7th, it's hard to top the Barenboim - one of the best ones ever.

Mixed bag but mainly on target.......2006-09-01

This is Michael Tilson Thomas's second recording of the Mahler Symphony No. 7, sometimes called "Symphony of the Night" for its two sections marked night music (nachtmusik). MTT's first recording, with the London Symphony Orchestra, was received very well and holds a place of high honor in both the current Penguin Guide and American Record Guide's most recent (2001) Mahler overview. This production won MTT a Grammy as best clasical recording of 2006.

At 81 minutes, MTT's older recording put it about in the middle of the universe of well-considerd Mahler 7s, which range from about 77-84 minutes. This time, MTT skittered through the score in about 77 minutes, making this account speedy by contrast.

While musical pundits have considered this a song for the night because of its two sections of nachtmusik, Michael Steinberg's notes to this issue suggest it is more likely four sections of night music followed by the sunshine of day, announced by the drum roll that kicks off the final movement. "Few here will fail to be reminded of Die Meistersinger," Steinberg wrote about the opening notes of the finale.

I've not heard MTT's earlier recording so I don't know where he skips time or space to cut four minutes. This recording, made in concert in San Francsisco's Davies Hall and recorded in somewhat spotlighted SACD sound, may have gained time by way of the energy created in a live performance. The annotation says this was recorded during March 9-12, 2005 but fails to disclose the number of performances given during that span.

MTT's opening is wonderful, in my opinion. It is echt-Mahlerian -- martial, booming with oomph and heart, all the qualities that make up this philosophically confused and emotional strained composer. During the first Nachtmusik section, conductor and band seem to lighten the reins a bit and perhaps slacken. The third movement begins to sound like spotlighted sound. How does a tuba stick out like that in the orchestral morass of a Mahler symphony, anyway?

The fourth movement -- the second Nachtmusik section -- is makred Andante amoroso and Tilson Thomas plays this for every inch of its amorous nature. A spirit of quiet warmth and good humor permeate the section, which is a marked contrast to everything that came before it. In the episodic finale, where a conductor is most challenged to keep it all together, MTT reminds me of tactics he used in his recording of the Mahler Symphony No. 6, especially his tendency to speed up and slow down the motion of the orchestra in interceding sections of the score. It closes is flames of glory, carrying off MTT's overall message of humanity and ecstasy.

I wouldn't call this my favorite version of the Mahler 7 but it's certianly a good one. The hybrid SACD recording is very good -- marked by clarity, depth and projection of a very good on pitch orchestra -- but it would also fall victim to claims that the engineers spotlighted certain sections for added effect. While a fabulous sounding CD, it is not always a very natural sounding performance.

I'm not one to dawdle when listening to Mahler and I don't like conductors that drag out the music beyond its capacity to breathe and live. At 77 minutes, this version is on pace with my favorite recording of the score, the one by Vaclav Neumann and the Gewandhaus Orchestra recorded for Berlin Classics in 1970. I enjoy Neumann's overall conception more than MTT's, which is more literal and less atmospheric. Many Mahlerites believe the Symphony No. 7 is nothing but atmosphere; I do not hold membership in that sect.

And, for all the wonder of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on display in this magnificent sounding CD, I believe the German orchestra did them one better three and one-half decades earlier, especially the fruitier sounding horns. I also appreciate the more natural sound of the older CD.

These preferences aside, this new MTT version should be a contender for everyone except those that must wring every ounce of angst out of the score, and it should become the preferred version for audiophiles willing to pay $27 for a single CD performance of this music.

Reproducing Mahler.......2006-04-20

As several reviewers implied, this performance of #7 does not get into the composer's head. No performance can do that! However, it does capture a less angst-ridden 7th. than is usually the case. This gives the music a chance to breath and lets us hear the musical infrastructure of the symphony. It may not be the "echt" performance of the 7th., but musically it is acurate and therefore, a valid interpretation-by the way, this is not MTT's first recorded Mahler, there is a version recorded in his years with the LSO that is as angst-ridden as anyone would like.
I would add that no conductor gets into Mahler's head, not even Walter and Klemperer. We interpret what we hear/read in the score and try to approximate it-this is why it is called music-making.

Average customer rating:

Hunt-Lieberson and symphony's ending steal the show
OH MY GOD!
Mahler 2-wow !!
Absolutely Thrilling
The final performance was the greatest

Mahler: Symphony 2
Gustav Mahler , Isabel Bayrakdarian , Lorraine Hunt Lieberson , Michael Tilson Thomas , and San Francisco Symphony
Manufacturer: San Francisco Sym
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Hunt-Lieberson and symphony's ending steal the show.......2006-12-27

I want to like this better than I do, as the good moments are truly great. But upon repeated listenings, once again, MTT finds spots to just suddenly slow down for no real or good reason. Here, it's in the scherzo; towards the end. In particular, there's a passage where Mahler makes it sounds as though time is standing still for a bit. Naturally, MTT feels that he has to exaggerate that which Mahler has already built into the music. It's so typical of what he's been doing in his on-going cycle. Also, slow and soft passages throughout the performance are, indeed, SLOW! If I'm not mistaken, MTT's finale stretches well beyond 35 minutes. And, as with his earlier SFSO recording of the Mahler third symphony, the second movement is somewhat faceless and prosaic. Too bad, because there are some other really fine things that happen here - the climax to the first movement being one of them. Not only does MTT nail that climax, but he also erases the awkwardness of the next moment by having the low strings jump right back with their fast, ascending flourishes - almost without any waiting. That's a brilliant interpretive touch. But then there's that faceless second movement, followed by the scherzo with the strange dragging of tempo, here and there. Too bad, because then we get Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, who has graced this recording with possibilly the greatest vocal performance ever! In addition, the end of the symphony is quite thrilling; although, the organ sounds far stronger on the more natural sounding Blomstedt/SFSO M2 from Decca (as a trade-off, the alternating salvos of the percussion are stronger here).

In the final analysis, although the mezzo is nowhere as good, I just feel that the Blomstedt/SFSO M2 flows better from begining to end. I also like the stronger organ and firmer sounding chorus. MTT's strange tempo anomolies grow tiresome upon repeated listening too. If you want to hear darn near everything done right in this large and multi-faceted work, I recommend the recent Ivan Fischer/BFO Mahler 2nd on Channel Classics. If a more historical perspective is your interest, you can't beat Walter or Klemperer - especially his live stereo one from Munich with Janet Baker.

OH MY GOD!.......2006-06-19

I haven't written a review on this site in a really long time. But there are just some things that require coming out of exile.

The performance and recording of the massive work are massive, phenomenal. I have LOTS of recordings of this piece, and I've listened to each and every one of them LOTS and LOTS. Mahler is a God to me. He (and Bruckner) got me through my teenage-years... This performance is special. There is so much power, SO much beauty, SO much intensity, SO much care taken... I've never heard such ferocity (and irony, and agony, and ecstacy) in the first movement, such delicacy (and verve) in the second and third movements, and as for the last movement -- hot damn, son of a gun -- the things Michael Tilson Thomas does with it are just spectacular.

This is my favorite, my absolute favorite. Please give it repeated listenings. There are so many rewards in store for you.

Mahler 2-wow !!.......2005-10-24

This is one of the finest recordings of Mahler 2 ever!!! The interpretation is superb..very Bernsteinish (who singlehandedly brought Mahler back into the public eye on his recordings with the Vienna Phil) The only problem is that the recording is too soft for those of us who like to listen in the automobile...otherwise wonderful

Absolutely Thrilling.......2005-05-19

Michael Tilson Thomas's fifth Mahler recording with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in his series of the complete Mahler symphonies is just as wonderful and exciting as any Mahler performance can be. The second, commonly called the Resurrection Symphony, is the most successful of the first four symphonies in structure, clarity, and overall architecture. Unlike the unbalanced third and forth symphonies and the sometimes indulgent first, the second is strong in its architecture, powerful in its emotional scope, and wonderfully rich in its musical language. The second is Mahler's answer to death and resurrection, a powerful transition from minor to major, that, when well performed, is chilling in its emotional impact.

The symphony begins with an arresting funeral march in dark minor. The stirring of the low string in fff is frightening as they call together the whirling activity. The movement is in sonata form, with a double development, each capped of with terribly exciting climaxes. The lovely andante is calming in its gentle swing, but is still filled with the passion of the first movement. The enigmatic scherzo, with its wonderfully vertiginous orchestration, is a dark compilation of Jewish melodies. The lovely forth movement, with its wonderful vocal writing, acts as an introduction of sorts to the dramatic and gigantic finale. The finale is a vivid journey through darkness and adversity, leading to the wonderful glory drenched ending of the symphony.

There are few faults in this consistently splendid recording of the symphony. The San Francisco Symphony is in great form, delivering a performance congruous with Mahler's idiomatic sound world. The first movement begins with tremendous energy; the lower strings really dig into their parts with the necessary vehemence. Thomas's tempo is a bit slower than usual - however, he uses the tempo to judiciously draw out aspects of the score. At times, tension sags due to heavy rubatto, but overall, the good outweighs the bad: the orchestra really delivers a dark, rich sonority; the dichotomy between the dark and light episodes is accentuated effectively; the final climax before the recapitulation has never been bettered; and Thomas immediate transition into the recapitulation after the climax maintains a great deal of tension, eliminating the awkwardness of the moment. All in all, this is not only Thomas' best conception of a sonata-form movement within the cycle, but it also stands up handsomely to the competition, including Bernstein's recording on DG, which also suffers from slow tempos and slackening tension.

The second movement goes well enough. The strings sing their part warmly, offering a plush sound which is remarkably lovely - even if it is somewhat at odds with the rustic charm of the dance. Thomas indulges his penchant for rubato in excess ever so slightly - a tighter grip would have improved this otherwise wonderful movement.

The scherzo, however, hangs fire. There are too many wonderful moments here to highlight but of particular note are the droll clarinets, Thomas's wonderful transition into the trio, and the magnificent "cry of despair" which captures the all dread and intensity frighteningly well. The clarity of texture, not to mention the top-to-bottom perfection of ensemble, is a joy.

And then there is the Urlicht, one of the finest on disc, so faithfully performed by the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Never has a voice so rich, so powerful, yet so sensitive graced this movement. She draws the text from the score masterfully, highlighting all the correct emotions, while imbuing the lied with a gravitas that never sounds forced. Thomas's sensitive accompaniment only adds to this gem, this brief dream before the onslaught of the finale.

The finale is uniformly spectacular, from the opening Bb minor outburst to the final "resurrection" in Eb. All offstage effects register with immaculate clarity, the various marches all embody the correct character, the orchestra really digs into their parts, delivering the vile sounds of purgatory with utmost character while expertly contrasting that with true visions of heaven. The entrance of the chorus is hair-raising and Hunt Lieberson is just as fine here as ever. Isabel Bayrakdarian, however, is a bit more problematic. Her small voice and quick vibrato do not suite the music well, keeping her vocal line stubbornly earthbound when transcendence is so necessary. However, her part is small and is easy to overlook when compared to the closing passages, where Thomas really creates a "resurrection." Expertly paced, perfectly balanced, and magnificently captured, the final passages are astoundingly powerful, carrying a great deal of tension and gravitas. Thomas may not revel in this music like Bernstein, who really plods through the final passages, but allows this conclusion to arrive naturally, creating a thrillingly satisfying close to this symphony. A magnificent installment in the ongoing series and a highlight in the discography of Mahler seconds.

On a side note, I think it is important to discuss the nature of the sound of the San Francisco Symphony in these recordings. The winds are quite lively, playful, at times even coquettish. The brass is rich, powerful, but not overbearing. The percussion, especially the bass drum and tam tam (wow), is astoundingly powerful. The strings have a bright sheen, but deliver some of their darkest timbres on disc here. Regardless, the real matter of interest in this recording is what is being said. Michael Tilson Thomas is quite well versed in Mahler and there is a profundity of incite here. There is no such thing as definitive when it comes to a Mahler performance. This recording, however, comes remarkably close.

The final performance was the greatest.......2005-03-05

I attended multiple performances of these recording sessions, and I can assure you that the final performance, the season finale Saturday night, was the greatest musical experience of my life. I was unable to move at the end of it. And I have all the definitive recordings of this symphony, which I consider second only to LvB9.

I have not heard this disc because I want to keep that memory pristine in my mind. The disc, I understand, was edited from several performances (and a member of the chorus told me there was a patch session after the last performance). I just hope they took much of it from Saturday...and I wish they allowed me to buy that performance (complete with the idiot making noise backstage in the 1st mov't) separately, so I could relive it.

I hope this disc is a shadow of what I experienced that night. I honestly have never heard MTT do anything even close to that, and I'm there all the time.

Average customer rating:

Mahler: Symphony #9
Mahler 9, MTT, SFS: A fine Humanist Reading in SuperAudio
very good, just short of fantastic
I love it
Almost

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: San Francisco Sym
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ASIN: B0007YMUFC
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

At about 89 minutes, Michael Tilson Thomas' Mahler Ninth is one of the slowest on disc (along with Bernstein's DG recording with the Vienna Philharmonic and Chailly's Philips account with the Concergebouw). Most performances are in the neighborhood of 80 minutes, usually yielding a tighter perspective. But this last and perhaps greatest of Mahler's symphonies can take a wide variety of interpretations--and MTT's is certainly worthy of consideration, even as a supplement to Chailly's greater dynamism, Bernstein's New York Philharmonic emotionalism (on Sony), or the detailed, cogent versions by Gielen, Ancerl, and Kubelik. Drawn from a series of 2004 live performances, MTT's cool, dry-eyed approach has many finely wrought aspects, not least of which are the exquisite chamber music-like close of the horn-soaked opening movement, the warm strings in the Adagio, and the structural clarity of the outer movements. The playing throughout is on the highest level, but some may find tension sometimes slackening, percussion tame, and middle movements short on the grotesqueries and irony typical of Mahler's mordant humor. This Ninth adheres to the high standards (performance and sonics) of MTT's San Francisco Mahler cycle. -- Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Mahler: Symphony #9.......2007-02-08

Superb recording from a sound perspective , The performance is top notch. The CD arrived in pristine condtion.

Mahler 9, MTT, SFS: A fine Humanist Reading in SuperAudio.......2005-10-09

Ethics means disclosure. My top Mahler 9 has for some years been the read (now on Allegro? maybe a treasure hunt?) by the late, great Wyn Morris & Symfonica of London. I also hear lasting worth, visionary intelligence, & nourishment in: Barbirolli-Berlin, Bertini-Cologne, Gielen-SRO-Baden-Baden, Giulini-Chicago, Horenstein-VSO&LSO, Klemperer, Maazel, Sanderling-Berlin (Yes.), Walter-early&late. To my ear, all the others are on/off, more or less. I realize this leaves some very big name conductors in the nowhere middles, but that is how I hear them. I might listen occasionally to one of these others on a radio pass, but I always end up with the nagging feeling that I missed out on something important that matters. I met everybody else, often played to high technical perfection and often with heady emotionalisms (or not); but Mahler himself just failed to really speak to me there. The worst 9th of all so far is sadly: Boulez-Chicago. That was an insult, to my heart. Listen with a score and your heart in hand, you may hear what is missing: almost everything except the notes.

Disclosure two: the system. I am playing this on five channels, plus woofer. Def Tech large speakers on five, Velodyne on the woof. Pioneer omni-player for SACD, feeding B&K Ref30 preamp, then Bryston power amps. Cables are A&R.

Now to SFS. The superaudio sound magically recreates a Davies Hall acoustic in multi-channel home simultude. Your whole room is energized into a subtly different, vividly alive sound field. Just as the right tuned subwoofer can seem to bring all the other speakers to higher presence, though they haven't changed physically from what they were before you added the subwoofer, just so, multi-channel superaudio. The SFS engineers are getting it very right in this series, so far. If you know Davies Hall at all, then you are there, now. But state of the art sound fields mean little if the message isn't there.

Given the folks listed on my welcome list, I wondered how MTT-SFS would fare by comparison. Happily, MTT-SFS get the Mahler message across intact. This read can be heard and cherished as a distinctive, fine effort. Add it to the keeper list. MTT-SFS give me Mahler as a Great Humanist. The fierce inner movements are not perhaps as sardonic or biting or bitter as some. They are more like flashes of dizzy Kabbalah symbols whose narratives are more like dance, or like traditional Jewish humor built on the paradoxes, absurdities, and transience of life and of human nature. I think I sense what seems on later reflection to be a deeply Jewish humanism and mysticism infusing all. This Mahler is warm, rich, savvy; narrating joy or sadness or nostalgia; dreaming, or mourning; or telling you folk tales.

This MTT read is like getting a hand-written letter from Mahler at Maiernigg, instead of a typed one on Court Opera stationary from Vienna. This visit from Mahler leaves me feeling that he has been through a lot in life, deeply felt and deeply suffered. Yet here MTT-SFS remind us that at this stage, Mahler has still yet life-affirmingly survived. He has looked death in the face many times - including the loss of his daughter, his own cardiac diagnosis, and maybe even the dark business of Alma's affair; but he is not a Straussian tone poem figure, wispily lingering in his last hours of life, already breathing his last, almost rising in tenuously bound spirit from his body. This Mahler knows he still can live, thought not eternally, except in his music; and somehow in those inklings of pure, essential, indelible Romantic Era spirit that evoked the Wordworthian phrase, Intimations of Immortality.

Maybe the tag word would be: Mensch. This reading simply has deep human heart, human heft.

Such humanity is not sloppiness, however. Taken from a series of live concerts, this performance holds amazingly well together as a viable whole. The point here is not mainly to walk on the ultimate heights of technical perfection, although all departments of the orchestra play well at their top form. This is not, say, Maazel-Vienna.

Flexible tempos with intellect and identity and character, balances within and between orchestral departments, the air of the venue, phrasings, illuminating inner and outer humanist touches of countless number - all are captured clear and whole in this disc. Flashy, splashy it is not; but you still might later think you can show off your system in a whole new dimension when you play it. Have you started thinking of your home system as first and foremost capable of being a Stradivarius-like musical instrument, yet? Somewhere, back there in the corners and hallways, I think I get glimpses of that old L. A. Citizen and musical humanist mentor, Bruno Walter. I imagine he is listening and beaming to hear just how MTT has finally turned out, in his own fifties.

Highly recommended, then. A good friend and a welcome acquaintance, good company with the other repeat welcome visitors mentioned at the start. One of only two available Mahler 9's in real, multi-channel superaudio. Someday, when the piggy bank finally times open again, I have promised myself to investigate the Barshai Mahler 9, given how well he has famously done with 5, and with his own completed version of 10. Other news: the MTT-SFS is near public release as the first superaudio Mahler 7.

very good, just short of fantastic.......2005-08-26

as with the previous recordings of Mahler symphonies by the SFSO and MTT, i really like this recording. the sound and playing is very good, as always with this orchestra. i give it 4 stars only because i am comparing it to the Royal Concertgebouw under Chailly recording, also an SACD. listening to this recording alone, i would say it is great, but in comparison to the Chailly recording, this disc is just missing something. it does not feel as dramatic, as explosive, as depressing as the Chailly recording. if for some reason you have a qualm with Chailly, than i would suggest this recording over all others.

I love it.......2005-04-29

Michael Tilson Thomas's Mahler cycle has, in my opinion, been somewhat inconsistent in quality from symphony to symphony. This is probably one of his best so far though - this is one of Mahler's best works and MTT shows just how much care and thought he put into making this rendition a moving, powerful, and personal account of this great symphony. This conductor is not one to follow what is in the score exactly as there are personal touches all over the place. Sometimes this has not been very effective in other Mahler performances by MTT, but I think in this case it comes off quite successfully. Tempos are chosen well (although I would have liked to have heard more accelerando at the end of the 3rd movement) and the orchestra's playing is generally top-notch. Although there are other great performances of this symphony available on disc, I personally have really fallen in love with this version and would highly recommend it.

Almost.......2005-04-13

Michael Tilson Thomas is a phenomenal music director. He inherited the San Francisco Symphony in 1995 and has, since then, turned the band, which was already quite accomplished under Herbert Blomstedt's tutelage, into a world class ensemble in the truest since. Despite its few (but glaring) weakness - bad flutes and violins that tend towards thinness - the San Francisco Symphony boasts consistently fine playing and musically intelligent contributions from the soloists - droll clarinets, boisterous bassoons, a horn section second to none, beautiful lower strings, and rich, big toned lower brass. Listening to this ensemble - an ensemble in the truest sense of the word - is always a joy. But orchestral perfection will only get you so far, and in this gorgeously played 9th, Thomas prevents this performance from becoming something really special. On the whole, it is still a wonderful 9th, but ultimately one that will not go down as one of the great recordings of this symphony.

Objectively looking at Michael Tilson Thomas's ongoing Mahler cycle has been increasingly difficult for me mainly because, the more familiar I become with Thomas's conducting style, the more egregious the apparent faults become. Thomas's penchant for rubato and mannered stylization started off as an interesting, if unnecessary, detail in the 6th and 1st symphonies. It became a bit more problematic in the 3rd. And finally, it became irritatingly obnoxious in the 7th and 5th symphonies. Thomas's insistence on smothering his interpretations with a thick coat of decorative frosting and fussy, mannered detail leaves a fluffy, decadent, at times even saccharine aftertaste which belies the often overwhelmingly high-level of musical nourishment these recordings offer. Indeed, nearly every other musical choice Thomas makes is a good one - it's just a shame he cannot discern between the good and bad.

Here, in this most beautiful 9th, Thomas finds one of his better balances between structure and mannerism. Indeed, despite being one of the slowest 9th on disc, this performance shows Thomas making intelligent, sensitive choices, judiciously accenting important musical lines while remaining (relatively) faithful to the letter of the score. While this performance certainly does not match Bernstein's physicality measure for measure nor do the inner movements, where Chailly (Decca) and Barenboim (Warner) succeed, ring out quite like they should, this is still a 9th that has more than enough to say to justify its deserved success.

The first movement is simply one of the most gorgeous performances ever to grace this symphony. Thomas clearly takes great pains to maintain pristine instrumental balance, which results in shimmering orchestral opulence. The climaxes - especially the pesante outburst - are prepared and executed flawlessly, the coda is appropriately dreamy, and the orchestra creates some really dark, murky sounds when necessary. Yet, Thomas purchases this sonic perfection at a price. Due to his insistence on micromanaging every aspect of the score, Thomas allows tension to plateau at several points throughout the movement. This is a small complaint, considering the tension never actually snags, but it prevents Mahler's great transitional sequences from taking shape. For example, Thomas's opening flows, moving towards the first climax with slow, but focused determination, growing in strength and power. But just compare his opening to Bernstein's opening with the Concertgebouw (DG) where the music does not simply flow, it unfolds in such a natural and logical way that it makes Thomas's opening seem somewhat stagnant. This is, of course, a matter of taste (and a small matter at that), but it is, none-the-less what stubbornly keeps Thomas's Mahler from reaching epic status - his inability to really let go and focus on the bigger picture.

The second and third movements suffer from the same problems that plague the first movement. Thomas shapes a wonderful waltz and transitions into the Landler magically, coaxing some beautiful sounds from the orchestra. He takes his time throughout the movement, but it never sounds slow or labored - Thomas masterfully proportions the various episodes within the movement as a whole, which sound effortlessly logical and satisfying in his hands. But the orchestra is polished to a level of perfection that robs the movement' of its basic idiomatic power. The waltz isn't quite sleazy enough, the winds don't squeal and whine as much as they should, and the percussion is stubbornly tame except in forte. Again, a matter of taste, as the movement is still appropriately characteristic, ironic, and energetic with some irresistible drive. The same holds true for the Rondo. Great ensemble perfection, perfectly proportioned outer sections, a particularly introspective central episode, and a pretty exciting closing section. Yet it never reaches the level of visceral physicality that (it seems) Thomas is trying to generate. He cannot let his orchestra make an ugly sound and therein lies the problem. This movement does not sound nasty enough, especially when compared to any number of other successful recordings, including Bernstein (DG), Chailly (Decca), Barenboim (Warner), or Gielen (Hanssler). If Thomas had just let his orchestra make a more appropriately idiomatic sound, this would have been a performance for the ages.

As expected, this is probably as lovely a finale as you are ever going to hear, one that features some pretty plush string playing, some chilling "dead" episodes, and a particularly effective, hushed close. Thomas not only balances the timing of this movement against the first (both hover around half an hour), but also contrasts the moods of these movements with great effect. This prevents the symphony from sounding top heavy or uneven and shows that Thomas does possess a great sense of musical line. A wonderful and fitting close to a performance that was, on the whole, quite wonderful.

When all is said and done, this is still a fabulous 9th, aided in no small part by the glorious sounds of the San Francisco Symphony, which really offers the last word in orchestral polish. For the most part, the winds have character, the strings are full-bodied, and the brass is uniformly spectacular. Overall, their music director is quite well versed in Mahler and there is, despite all the shortcomings, a profundity of incite here. It succeeds on so many levels, in fact, that it is so frustrating that this performance wasn't better. Still, this is a winning interpretation and certainly one of the high-points of Thomas's ongoing cycle with his orchestra. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant collection
And You Thought You Didn't Like Shostakovich!!

Jazz Suites 1 & 2
Shostakovich , Yablonsky , and Russian State Sym Orch
Manufacturer: Naxos
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000063TS9
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Overture (Introduction)
The Bureaucrat (Polka)
The Drayman's Dance (Variations)
Kozelkov's Dance With Friends (Tango)
Intermezzo
The Dance Of The Colonial Slave-Girl
The Conciliator
General Dance Of Enthusiasm And Apotheosis (Finale)
March
Lyric Waltz
Dance 1
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Dance 2
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Tahiti Trot, Op.16 (Transcription Of Vincent Youman's Song 'Tea For Two')

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant collection.......2006-03-20

I've highly enjoyed this brilliant collection of Shostakovich. Recommended to every music lover!

And You Thought You Didn't Like Shostakovich!!.......2003-09-17

I'm astonished that no one has reviewed this CD (until now) which came out over a year ago. It is an astonishingly assured set of performances by the youngish cellist turned conductor, Dmitry Yablonsky, and the Russian State Orchestra. (And, even better, there is a DVD-Audio of these same performances that just came out and it is in superb surround sound. Yeehaw!)

This is Shostakovich at his most accessible. It's all jazzy, tuneful, interestingly orchestrated (he does things with the xylophone that he must have picked up from watching cartoons with music by Carl Stallings--do you suppose?). And there are some saxophone licks that couldn't have been composed by anyone but a Russian (although, the idea came to me after imagining in my mind's ear the saxophone solos in Musorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and the most familiar orchestration of THAT is by a Frenchman, Ravel--oh, well, the TUNE is Russian).

This is, in fact, music that Shostakovich wrote in imitation of American popular music. [In fact, 'Tahiti Trot' is his take of Vincent Youmans's 'Tea for Two.'] There's even a Sousa march in the first Jazz Suite. And he gets it all almost right and inimitably Shostakovian as well. It's right enough that American listeners will probably be fooled--if they listen to it without knowing the composer--into believingt it had to be by someone like Ferde Grofe or Gershwin or even Leroy Anderson.

My point is this: this is Shostakovich's happiest, bounciest, most accessible music. And on top of that it's beautifully written and performed. I don't know what you're waiting for.

I had my wife waltzing around the listening room just a few days ago to a new recording of waltzes by Lehar. But I grabbed her again when I'd cranked this one up and we waltzed and polka'd and even tango'd. It's impossible to resist.

Recommended heartily. And even more so, if you've got the equipment for it, I recommend the new DVD-Audio version.

Tracks:

Every Time I Feel The Spirit
Balm in Gilead
Volga Boat Song
Monologue From 'Othello'
O Thou Silent Night
Chinese Children's Song
My Curly Headed Baby
Old Man River
Going Home
Monologue From 'Boris Godunov'
The Orphan
Christ Lag In Todesbanden
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel
Lullaby
O No John
Joe HIll
Jacob's Ladder
Chassidic Chant
Freedom
O Grieve You Now My Mother
This Is The Hammer
All Men Are Brothers

Customer Reviews:

An uplifting experience.......2006-12-05

If one takes into account the time at which this recording was made, and the surrounding events affecting his life, one can truly appreciate the significance of this album. Experiencing oppression not only from the U.S. but later the Canadian government to travel abroad, Robeson was impeded, but not prevented from singing in the name of peace, human rights, and the rights of the common worker. Victory was at hand when on May, 9 1958, the date of this recording, Paul Robeson announced that his passport battle had been won. This is the recording of a triumphant gentleman, a loving, ecstatic audience, and very importantly, a talented and very attuned pianist (Alan Booth). With this in mind one can more greatly appreciate how special this concert was. The magic of this recording trancends Robeson's impeccable singing. It is the concert as a whole that makes it so spectacular. Listen to 'Joe Hill', think of Robeson's battle, and hear why it is so powerful. Or listen to 'O No John', Alan Booth pounding the keys on the last notes, and the audience's response. Every person in Carnegie Hall was riveted. Well worth the price, and an uplifting experience.

One of the best, and latest, of the Robeson recordings..........2006-10-17

This concert came along in 1958, when Paul's passport was restored and he was allowed to travel and make a living again, after several years of being on the Communist blacklist. His joy at performing once more for his traditional audience comes through in every track. That same year, he did a concert at his brother's church in Harlem, and when Columbia Records issued that one, it had another winner. Not long after those shows, Paul went overseas for five years, suffering a health crisis that brought him back to America in 1963, broken down and unable to perform consistently. He spent his last decade or so of life on the sidelines, living quietly with his sister in Philadelphia. This concert, then, along with the one at Mother Zion Church, is one of the final triumphs of one of the most interesting American lives. We know now that Paul's stubborn support of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era was a tragic flaw in his character, but he had magnificent gifts of voice and of acting presence, and had he come to the attention of audiences in 1957 instead of 1927, he would likely have earned millions as a singer and actor, and his political and social radical activism would have been a much smaller impediment to his career. If you already own some Robeson recordings, add this one because it represents him at the beginning of what was then "old age." If you own none, this concluding album is actually a fine starting point, because his earlier work suffers a bit from the primitive recording technology of the '30's and '40's.

Paul Robeson Live.......2006-07-11

Of course his baritone is fabulous. His rendition of Joe Hill is unforgettable - this was a song he sang for the builders' labourers on the site of the Sydney Opera House in around 1969 -also Old Man River, which he made his own. He should have sung this in the film of the musical Showboat but he was passed over for an inferior voice by the producers because he was a member of the Communist Party. A pity. He also sings some gospel on this CD, I'm not mad about religious songs but if you like them then you'll love this.

New version available in UK.......2006-02-18

This version is now redundant as Vanguard has released a version in 2005 with the original album cover for the first time and with new sleeve notes. The sound is also better. I purchased it from amazon.co.uk.

Question.......2005-09-29

I would like to buy Paul Robeson CD with "Old Man River" and "Kevin Barry (Irish)"

Average customer rating:

A lyrical, refined Mahler Fifth, one of MTT's best efforts
MTT, SFSO, Mahler 5: Big, Songful, Hearty, Operatic
Pouring oil on the waves ...
Actually, the sound is exceptional and the performance near the best
Poor sound spoils four star reading

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: San Francisco Sym
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000ICLU0E
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Tracks:

1st Movement: Trauermarsch
2nd Movement: Sturmisch Bewegt, Mit Grosser Vehemenz
3rd Movement: Scherzo: Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell
4th Movement: Adagietto, Sehr Langsam
5th Movement: Rondo-Finale: Allegro

Amazon.com

Although in a letter to his wife Mahler expressed doubts about what the public would make of his Fifth Symphony, it has become one of his most popular works. As always, he kept revising it for several years; the final version, heard here, was not published until 1964. Cast in five movements, it opens with a heavy, achingly mournful Funeral March, heralded by a recurring trumpet signal. The next movement, though thematically related, is its opposite: fast, "stormy," grotesque, calling for "utmost vehemence." The Symphony's center of gravity is the third and longest movement, an unusually weighty Scherzo. Driving and rambunctious, with a tenderly lyrical Trio, it stomps, dances and swings. In complete contrast to the preceding violence and massive orchestration, the famous Adagietto is the Symphony's shortest but most profoundly affecting movement. Scored only for strings and harp, it feels like an oasis of sonic and emotional calm. The Finale brings another surprise: humorous, gracious, playful, it recalls previously heard material (as well as some of Mahler's songs) and ends in a burst of laughter. Recorded live, this performance has great vitality, freedom, and color - even the enharmonic shifts are enhanced by making the flat keys dark and the sharp keys bright. However, it suffers from a few excesses: the tempo changes are good but too frequent and there is a lot of push-and-pull. The pianissimos are barely audible, the fortissimos ear-splitting; the texture gets muddy in the loud sections. The Adagietto is inordinately slow and falls apart with big ritards and long pauses. However, the playing is exciting and expressive, and the soloists are wonderful. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A lyrical, refined Mahler Fifth, one of MTT's best efforts.......2007-03-18

Michael Tilson Thomas can come off as a lightweight who skates over the surface of a score without plunging into its emotional depths. But to turn that accusation on its head, he is a refined musician with a sense of detail and delicacy rather than power and drama. The ideal Mahler conductor needs to possess both halves. A shortage of visceral impact has made me shy away from MTT's Mahler cycle, but this Fifth is stunning. The recorded sound alone qualifies for raves--I've never heard such naturalness and warmth in the Fifth. But more importantly, the Mahler Fifth suits this conductor's temperament.

The music operates between extremes, ecstatic storming of the heavens and funereal gloom, manic outbursts and hushed quiescence. Its extremism tempts conductors to bombard us with garish effects or to twist the musical line into contortions to prove how profoundly affected they are. MTT takes the course of moderation, and where Barenboim, for instance, distorts the score with imposed over-statement, Tilson Thomas takes every opportunity to point out the delicacy and lyricism of quiet passages. Add to this the alert, sensitive playing of the SFSO, and the chemistry works--I paid attention from beginning to end. (For those who keep tabs, the Adagietto takes 10:48 here and is performed without overtones of grief or melancholy. MTT extracts a dreamy wistfulness that is quite lovely.)

I have no hesitation giving this CD five stars, but Mahler has inspired other great eprformances that transcend this one, from Karajan, Barshai, Abbado, Barbirolli, and the all but forgotten Sir Rudolf Schwarz, a Nazi-era emigre who made a career in London and whose Mahler Fifth on Everest is the performance of a lifetime.

MTT, SFSO, Mahler 5: Big, Songful, Hearty, Operatic.......2006-11-11

My first conscious exposure to the possibility that Mahler could be played as opera was probably the stereo era recording of the 2nd symphony, committed to disc by Stokowski leading the LSO. From first note to last the whole grand thing simply rang out - clarion. Bel canto.

I recalled that Stokowski revelation while listening to this MTT reading of the Mahler Fifth.

Some touchstones for recorded comparisons: I have long treasured Mahler 5th Symphonies by the likes of: (1) Wyn Morris (Symphonica of London), (2) Rudolf Barshai (Neue Junge Deutsche Philharmonie-coupled with an equally stunning Tenth Symphony), (3) Sir John Barbirolli (New Phlharmonia), (4) Herbert von Karajan (BerlinPO), (5) Pierre Boulez (ViennaPO - another welcome surprise), (6) Michael Gielen (SWRSO), (7) Gary Bertini (CologneRSO), (8) Lorin Maazel (ViennaPO), and (9) Giuseppe Sinopoli (Philharmonia).

Yes, some famous and some newer names are missing so far from my open-ended fav list. I just haven't warmed to these yet. If I have even heard some of them.

Among the prior recordings, the MTT reading comes nearest - though not all that near in the end - to the Sinopoli reading. Both charmed and surprised me by treating this often gnarly-seeming symphony as Bel Canto Song. The greatest contrast is with Barshai, Gielen, and Bertini who in different ways engage more severely with the immense (in all senses of the word) polyphony of this work. Having such a viable range of interpretations is fascinating in itself, but efforts to find new things in a familiar piece of music can be failures, irritating, unconvincing on repeated plays.

Not so this MTT Mahler Fifth. It seems to be getting faint praise from many listeners. Not so from me.

The first trumpet notes put a hearer on notice that this will all be Bel Canto. Yes Lucia goes mad in the last act, kills her politically-driven husband, and Enrico knifes himself after a glorious farewell aria upon hearing that Lucia is dead as the cortege bears her tragically young body forth into the countryside of Scotland by way of Italy. But nothing ceases to be lyrical just because it is dramatic, or even melodramatic. Many great moments of symphonic polyphony achieve such flowing and flexible ensemble that, again, one tends to forget JS Bach, thinking of all the great opera trios, quartets, and quintets. There is nothing in MTT"s performance that is not still genuine Mahler, and yet Bellini and Donizetti stand applauding as it were, vigorously in the wings.

The third movement made famous by Visconti's film use of it is essentially song, too. The breathing phrases, glinted and inflected with rubato, reminds us of those vulnerable dimensions of real human hearts, instead of being inflated as large (or as dramatically) as possible. The old saw about Clemens Krauss' approach to conducting Richard Strauss (Epic but bloated) has no place here.

The Finale is our emergence back into the kaleidoscopic bright sunshine and bustle of the wide world. It shows quite a definite sense of humor. SACD booklet annotator Michael Steinberg puts the well-being of the Finale in context, opining that Mahler is willing to end this symphony with what he terms, a shout of laughter. By the end, I am willing to agree that this symphony is bursting with more sunshine and affirmation of life than I have typically wanted to hear in my fav versions. I am not exactly willing to throw all the other, darker readings out, but I can welcome this more positive view, too.

Let me wrap up by discussing sound. I have heard this performance in superaudio surround sound. My system seems decent enough, with a Sony SACD player pushing signal out to five Definitive Tech floor speakers, through a B&K preamp and Bryston power amps. That is, I think I have had a decent chance to evaluate the audio without my system unduly getting in the way.

If you have been attending live concerts lately in the re-balanced acoustics of Davies Hall in SF, you will surely recognize the truth of the recording the moment you hear it in all channels. So far as I can tell, the engineers have used a minimalist mike set-up in all the MTT Mahler recordings to date. They set the rig and let it go. No spotlight miking. No artificial editing to re-balance instrumental sections or solos. What you hear is consistent right through the performance, despite a series of live concerts being edited together to comprise the SACD master.

The dynamic range is typically greater than ordinary 16-bit CD. Loud to soft simply expands in dimension via SACD, with tangible gains in full frequency clarity, warmth, and resonating air around the music that mostly tends to enhance tonal depth while locating sound even more vividly in the recorded venue. I can indeed think of SACD's which I hear as falling off the charts on the pppppp ends of the spectrum - Rostropovich's Shostakovich Eleventh with the LSO in SACD, and Zander's nearly sonically invisible posthorn soloist in his reading of the Mahler Third, do come to mind. But this MTT outing is not marred by this sort of SACD engineering failure.

If you want the contrasting approach to this symphony that emphasizes polyphony and counterpoint textures, with plenty of fire and urgent impetus, you could hardly do better than the Rudolf Barshai 2-disc set on Brilliance, with that conductor leading the astounding Junge Deutsch Philharmonie in Barshai's completion of the Tenth Symphony, too. But in its own ways, according to its own sung sense, this MTT+SFSO approach breathes and dances and exemplifies a high level of operatic ensemble; if the Fifth has heretofore sounded a bit too lugubrious or dark to you, this may become one of your favs. Otherwise, like a live concert reading of the Bruckner Fifth wherein Blomstedt and SFSO shed entirely Schubertian light on that gnarly score, this performance is content to stake out its own interpretive territory.

Pouring oil on the waves ..........2006-11-05

The Michael Tilson Thomas Mahler cycle with the San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra is now nearing completion with a generally satisfying reading of the Fifth Symphony. The whole cycle will in a whole and on itself make a nice little stack of colorful, nicely polished, technically outstanding performances. Most of the time the playing is distinctive, with smooth ensemble playing, sometimes 'rising above the notes' in wonderful performances. Up to now, I find the First, Sixth and Seventh stand out as especially excellent.
But however gorgeous the sound and however beautifully polished and refined the ensemble playing, I find that these performances sometimes gloss over too much, or better: do not evoke enough, the anxiety and raw emotion - the sense of 'heart and nerves laid bare'. This is especially the case here, I think, with this recording of the Fifth Symphony, where as a result of going for a beautiful sound and for smooth ensemble playing, I think maybe too much oil is poured on the waves ... Especially in Mahler's Fifth, the conductor should stress the outrageousness of this music, where different voices in the orchestra are constanly vying (as in: shouting, crying, pleading ...) for attention, almost independently from each other sometimes.
The Adagietto, when we have finally arrived there, doesn't at all feel like the logically and emotionally needed (contrastingly different) 'arrival after much turmoil'. And above this, the orchestral playing as such leaves me quite cold here also, which is a shame. Although I must say that it does sound very tender here, so I am cast to doubt again ... (And appreciation of the Adagietto does't have anything to do with the tempo, because in one of my favorite recordings of the symphony, namely the one by Benjamin Zander on Telarc, the same piece is quite a bit (more than 2 minutes) faster [8:33], but it does make the heart strings of this particular listener resonate.) Also, the Part II Scherzo isn't as dizzyingly mesmerizing as should be, I believe. Maybe also because it is played a bit slowly here (taking up more than 19 minutes) and without much tension, too relaxed (like the whole of Part I as well, actually), after which the emotionally dry Adagietto almost feels a bit gratuitous, I am sorry to say (because it is quite a pity).
This performance misses out something on the 'soul' of this music. At no point does this recording really 'lift off' and come alive as many other recordings of this symphony (or, for that matter, as other recordings in this cycle), like (among others) the ones by Bruno Walter and the New York Philharmonic (1947), Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra (2000) and Bernard Haitink's zestful live-recording with the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Eurovision Christmas Matinee concert, 1986).
I believe that this recording does fit in nicely with the rest of the Tilson Thomas/San Francisco Mahler cycle and as such it is a safe buy for collectors (of which I am certainly one). But on itself it is not at all a prime recommendation for this recording, however gorgeous the orchestral playing and the recording as such. (Be warned though, that there is a little glitch/wobble in the sound of the stereo-layer of this CD at [5:03] during the 5th movement - a pity and a shame, especially for this kind of money). For that it just sounds too uninvolved emotionally, lacking tragedy, tension and drama. Maybe the conductor is on an altogether different plane of thought here, like in his recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony, which - notwithstanding the music's heavy connotations of leave-taking - breathes a same kind of 'emotional detachment' as this recording of the Fifth. This may be a result of some unique vision, I don't know, but I'm afraid I do not really follow here - at least, not for the moment.
Anyway, this recording does take a bit to get used to (and maybe a whole different mind-set), compared with what I am used to and with what I love and have come to expect with this music. But maybe I'll start to like it more and more during years to come, when a recording, so to say, 'grows on you', which can indeed happen sometimes. So for the moment I can only listen and learn (this complex music does of course need intellectual engagement as much as emotional evolvement), and hope that the effort and money will ultimately be well spent ;-)

Actually, the sound is exceptional and the performance near the best.......2006-10-19

This situation begs for an alternative review. The first review here characterizes Michael Tilson Thomas' recording of Mahler's 5th as a " tepid run-through by an uninvolved conductor and a bored orchestra," yet he also criticizes the performance for excessive rubato and other micromanagement.

Well, you can't have it both ways. This is like criticizing a car for driving blandly, like a Toyota Camry, and at the same time darting all over the road like a 20-year-old Porsche. Whether rubato and fetishes about various detail are excessive or not is a matter of opinion (see later), but it's a fact that a conductor can't pull them off by being "uninvolved."

Like my predecessor, I'll "start with the engineering." Among other considerations, the San Francisco Symphony has commendably used Super Audio CD (SACD) encoding for its entire Mahler cycle. (This is despite the naysayers who dismiss SACD as an irrelevant commercial failure.) That they did so is symptomatic of the general commitment to audio quality in all these recordings.

I am a former recording engineer, and listened to this disc using a SACD player, whose output was fed to high-end stereo separates and studio monitor speakers. I also listened to the standard CD layer, ripped to an iPod Nano. Worst-case, i.e. on the Nano in stereo, the recording was almost as good as its best competitors. (I guess I should have said, there are many other great recordings of Mahler's 5th symphony.)

Best-case is SACD, where like others of its ilk this disc provides audio quality that is riveting. Handled with care, SACD comes closer to live music or a master tape, and the difference is not subtle. Here, there is depth, excellent orchestral balance, and an immersive sense of acoustical space. (And to any critical music lover who says SACD is too costly to bother with, decent players -- which also play DVDs -- are easily available for $200 or less.)

Now to the music. In the overall framework of a negative review, my predecessor actually cites many exceptional qualities of this performance, and there I agree with him. Tilson-Thomas is steeped in Mahler and as for the orchestra's response, they do what he wants on nearly a Chicago Symphony level. (They can't match the Berlin Philharmonic's virtuosity, but then what other orchestra possibly could except God's own?)

As a Bay Area native who rarely attends SFSO concerts, I was prepared to dismiss the orchestra's contribution as second-rate, and I was late to jump onto the Tilson-Thomas Mahler bandwagon. But when I did, his recordings confounded my prejudices -- and this one is no exception.

A conductor whose name is practically synonymous with Mahler -- especially the 5th -- is Leonard Bernstein. Lenny is a conductor you have to hear, but personally I prefer a more literal approach, without infuriating agogic distortions. Let Mahler make his own points, don't bother with special pleading.

Examples of more straightforward Mahler 5ths would be the (wonderful) recordings by Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado. Yet returning to Tilson-Thomas' disc after these reveals him to be "Bernstein lite," a conductor whose flexibility is noticeable but never annoying, always true to the score. Even in the famous Adagietto, which to my mind needs a clear-eyed "innocent" approach, MTT pulls it off.

As a Mahler fanatic, I would hate to live without 5ths by Abbado, Bruno Walter, and perhaps others. Bernstein's Vienna Philharmonic 5th is also one I wouldn't be without. When you're talking about music on this level, no one performance can be "best."

To my mind, MTT's 5th will delight both those who are new to this music and those who know it well. There's a sense of occasion and electricity about this 5th; in fact, I instinctively feel that it will still be remembered in 50 years, long after most others have been forgotten

The only demerit on this disc is the SACD price. To me, the audio quality is worth it, but this very same recording is available on iTunes for just $10.

Poor sound spoils four star reading.......2006-10-11

Michael Tilson Thomas's eighth Mahler recording with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in his on-going series of the complete Mahler symphonies is a mixed bag. Having actually attended one of the performances from which this recording was drawn, I already knew what to expect from this CD - an overly polished yet dry-eyed performance by an over-involved conductor and an over-rehearsed orchestra. What shocked me, however, was the inexcusably bad engineering job, which is compressed, dry, and lacking in atmosphere. What is even worse, the spatial layout of the sound stage has clearly been manipulated, with instruments jumping all over the texture. A surprise, considering the usually high level of post-production I have come to expect from this series.

Let's start with the engineering. The sound, as aforementioned, is compressed, dry, and very flat. There is no sense of depth at all from this recording. The trumpets and trombones have been brought to the front of the texture, while the horns sounds oddly recessed. The winds, especially the flutes and bassoons, have also been brought to the front. Odder still, however, is the highly recessed sound of the violins, which are rarely audible, much less clear, in large tutti passages! Thus, the recorded sound is more akin to early colorless mono-recordings that sound so one-dimensional. Even more disturbing, the engineers further tinker with the sound, creating a patchwork of clear and fuzzy moments throughout the recording - there are all sorts of odd distortions within the first movement alone.

However bizarre such bad engineering is, it is easy to overlook those problems if the performance is extraordinary. Michael Tilson Thomas and his orchestra do deliver a performance that is remarkable in its beauty yet emotionally reserved. Some will find Thomas' dry-eyed approach appealing while others will find it wanting in dramatics. Yet, in a field where there are so many fantastic Mahler 5ths - Bernstein, Levine, Solti, Tennstedt, Karajan, Gielen, and Chailly just to name a few - Thomas idiomatic approach just cannot measure up to the competition.

There are basically three problems with the first movement. One, Thomas break the musical line and architectural scope of the movement with annoying pregnant pauses and hesitations, which often destroy the forward momentum of the march. Secondly, although Thomas curbs his distracting tendency towards excessive rubato, his mannered conducting leaves the music sounding somewhat predictable, especially in light of his need to exaggerate every "big" moment. Thirdly, Thomas refuses to "let loose" in the central section, underplaying the necessary sleaze, grotesqueries, and histrionics. Thomas's insistence on micromanaging every aspect of the performance prevents his orchestra from creating a true idiomatic Mahler sound. Still, the playing here is beautiful, if the sound is less than perfect. However, if the poor engineering wasn't apparent to the listener by now, listening to the opening of the second movement, where the contrabassoon cuts through the texture with unrealistic acuity, is an example on how not to handle sonics. The second movement, however, is wonderfully played. It seems Thomas is, as always, at his best in movements that invite a lot of rubato. The twists and turns of the music are brilliantly captured and the movement as a whole is like a textbook on sectional balance. The big brass outburst and final collapse are excellently paced and exciting to boot - the final tam tam crash is really something. The only problem with the movement is Thomas's annoying retard during the downward plodding leading up towards the big brass outburst. Still, this isn't the last word in frenzied excitement - just listen to Bernstein in this music.

The scherzo fairs somewhat better than the first movement, although the lilting waltz is handicapped by the compressed and recessed horn sound. Thomas's tempo is a bit on the slow side and the orchestra (percussion) could play out more. The movement is ever-so-slightly disjointed until the horn-soaked climax. After that moment, the players seem to breathe life back into the score, presenting a wonderfully idiomatic trio. The return of the scherzo proper is appropriately exciting but the closing passages have sounded more frenetic, even if the playing here is top notch.

And then there is the adegietto, where Thomas's indulges his penchant for rubato excessively. The movement, rounding off at just less than 11 minutes, sounds long, labored, and plodding. Although the strings play beautifully (still, the sound is compressed), its clear, one again, that they are being hampered by Thomas's mannered, fussy detailing. Why must every downbeat be a "big moment?" Why does the music come to a halt, a tensionless dead-zone, before the reappearance of the main theme? Why is the architecture of the musical line so fragmented? Disappointing.

The finale, however, is uniformly spectacular. Even more so than the second movement, this performance offers remarkable counterpuntal clarity. So many aspects of the score previous buried in thick textures in other performances become crystal clear here - I particularly like the prominence given to the bass line. Most exciting are the brilliantly loopy wind parts that twist and turn with such delight. The brass is hefty, delivering all the goods at the big moments, and the final outburst is one of the better ones on disc. Strings sound dry and compressed, and the engineer is back to tinkering with the recording (just listen to the obvious compression 3 minutes into the finale), but over all the proceeding is captured quite well. Once again though, I would have liked to have heard more trust between music director and orchestra. If Thomas had only let loose in the final bars (i.e. Bernstein), the performance of the finale could have been extraordinary. Still, a nice and surprising close to a performance that, on the whole, never rose past decent.

It is important to discuss the nature of the sound of the San Francisco Symphony in this recording as well. The flutes are simply atrocious - especially in the big movements, where their breathy lower timbre is nearly impossible to listen to. This would not be as big of a problem if they were not so forwardly balanced (along with the bassoons) leaving the oboes (sounding more acidic than usual) and clarinets fainter by comparison. The brass is rich but the horns are, as aforementioned, poorly balanced and the section as a whole sounds pinched and thinned. The percussion rarely cuts through the texture with any real fire and the lower frequencies do not resonate like some of the other recordings in this series. The bright strings are rich and full-bodied, but are betrayed by the recording quality.

Regardless, the real matter of interest in these recordings is what is being said. Michael Tilson Thomas is quite well versed in Mahler and there is, for all of its shortcomings, some beautiful moments here. Still, it is no surprise a symphony that relies on strict tempos and architecture would give Thomas trouble. A cycle that began with a Grammy winning performance hit turbulence with the 7th. Now, with this 5th, it's loosing altitude fast. Let's hope the next installment in the series, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, can reestablish both Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra as one of the greater Mahler collaborations today. A performance that should have been better.

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Great Classical Spectrum

Classic Chillout, Vol. 2
Various Artists
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classical Chillout
Euphoric Classics: A Classical High
Jazz Chillout
Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album
Classic Chillout Album

ASIN: B00005Y49H
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

Any Other Name - Nikolaj Bloch
Vision - Richard Souther
Song Of Tears - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Largo - Reginald Kilbey And His Strings
Hedwig's Theme - Nic Raine
Sheep May Safely Graze - Sir Neville Marriner
II. Adagio Un Poco Mosso - Philharmonia Orchestra
Cavatina - Manuel Barrueco
Eddie - Michael Nyman
Espiritu - Thomas Otten
Cinema Paradiso Love Theme - Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra
Pavane - New Philharmonia Orchestra
Pie Jesu - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Goldberg Variations - Maria Tipo
Agnus Dei - David Hill
II. Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
Canzonetta Sull'Aria - Gianna Rolandi

Tracks:

Time To Say Goodbye - Orchestra
Aquarium - Katia & Marielle Labeque
Barcarolle (Les Contes D'Hoffman) - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Jean De Florette Theme - Toots Thielemans
La Valse D'Amelie - Yann Tiersen
Love In Slow Motion - The Planets
Heart Of The Volunteer - David Temple
II. Adagio - Ton Koopman
Nimrod ('Enigma' Variations) - London Symphony Orchestra
Going Home (Largo) - Izzy
Sarabande - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Facades - John Harle
Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
Teleplene And Rubber Band - Simon Jeffes
Agnus Dei - National Youth Choir Of Great Britain
II. Romance - Garrick Ohlsson
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
II: Andantino - James Galway
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini - Cecile Ousset
An Ending - Brian Eno

Album Details

Instrumental Chill Out of the Classical Variety, Not of the Dancefloor. Chill Baby!

Customer Reviews:

Great Classical Spectrum .......2005-03-21

These cd's are a great set of varied classical music. Pavane is my favorite. Additionally, Classical Chillout 2 offers theme music from Harry Potter and it is very well done.

Average customer rating:

a joy to hear!
Appealing Music by a Russian Musical Maverick
Justice for Sergey Taneyev?
Underrated composer

Symphony 2 & 4
Taneyev , Polyanski , and Russian State Sym Orch
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Taneyev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Taneyev: Piano Concerto in E flat major
Gernsheim: Complete Symphonies
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Ferdinand Ries: Complete Symphonies [Box Set]

ASIN: B00006FSPL
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Customer Reviews:

a joy to hear!.......2007-05-05

I remember reading that Taneyev's lazyness got the best of him and thats why he did not compose much orchestral music. But what he did compose is something heaven sent. His music has melody almost in the style of Tchaikovsky. The sound of the brass on this disc will keep your eyelids open. Both symphonys are powerful and Chandos always does a great job with its recordings. I never could find Taneyev's 1st & 3rd symphonys on disc, but to my great joy, these two will be out on the Chandos label later this month. Its about time! I can't wait!

Appealing Music by a Russian Musical Maverick.......2005-08-11

The notes to this recording opine that Taneyev makes his strongest musical points in his chamber music, suggesting that the orchestra was not a natural medium for him. This may be true; there is a certain ungainliness about both of these symphonies, but I still like them. In fact, while the Fourth Symphony is clearly more mature and polished, I don't enjoy the Second, especially its finale, any less. This finale is in the best "Russian festival" manner exploited by Russian nationalists like Borodin and Balakirev on the one hand and musical conservatives like Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky on the other. It swaggers along in an off-kilter sort of way, a function of both the thematic material and the orchestration, which the notes say have an "archaic" cut to them in the manner of Glinka. Whatever, this is quite attractive music in a bearish sort of way.

In the Fourth Symphony, the first movement impresses most, I think, with its motivic energy and strong compositional logic; Taneyev's debt to his musical mentor Tchaikovsky is clear in this respect alone. (The older composer's influence is much more obvious in the Second Symphony, which starts with an almost direct quote from "Romeo and Juliet.") Otherwise, the strange melodies, the dark orchestral colors, the harmonic sophistication are pure Taneyev. But then the slow movement has a serenity one would hardly expect from this composer, whose fast movements are usually given to noisiness. Taneyev lightens up a bit for the intriguing Scherzo, which sounds like Anton Rubinstein on a really, really good day! The finale is somewhat blustery, and the recasting of the waltz melody from the first movement as the heroic theme of the movement's peroration is not, to me, as convincing as it is to some writers; I don't really buy the triumph-to-tragedy program of this movement. However, it makes a suitably grand noise in the coda, and along the way there are some interesting foretastes of Gliere and Rachmanioff. Overall, then, this is an interesting and often moving symphony.

The performances here are a little rough-hewn, which matches the music well, I think. Maybe "brash" is a better description, and that certainly characterizes the very Russian brass playing. At times, it's almost raucous. In truth, critics have been somewhat divided over the performances; I agree with those who think Polyansky's big-scale, heart-on-sleeve approach is the right one to help this music leap off the page. The recording--exciting but a trifle raw--matches the interpretations exactly.

Justice for Sergey Taneyev?.......2003-07-04

Polyanski et al. give a more than able rendition of Sergey Taneyev's second and fourth symphonies, proving again the injustice of the iron repertory. These are remarkable, well-crafted and inspired works, on a par and sometimes even transcending those of Taneyev's close friend Tchaikovsky. Certainly, these works are not representative of the sort of generic Russian symphony of the late nineteenth century, although they are traditional in mould. In a way, the second and fourth symphonies stand out at opposite sides of Taneyev's oeuvre, the latter being far more exuberant than the former.
Comparison between Taneyev's and Tchaikovsky's fourth symphonies has apparently been inevitable, and astonishingly Taneyev's seems to end on top. For what it is worth, it certainly has one of the most explosive codas ever heard. All through both works, however, Taneyev's preoccupation with counterpoint is noticeable but it never gets in the way of enjoyment.
The fourth symphony has experienced somewhat of a revival, with no less than three recent recordings. However, you might want to devote some attention to number two. Written in three movements, this is a muscular piece of music, almost brusque at places. However, you'll be amazed at the unexpected turns that are taken, certainly if you are familiar with the Russian musical language of the period. Comparisons have been made with Bortkiewicz, which is somewhat puzzling given his rather rigid formality - a more fitting comparison, in my opinion, is that which Lyapunov, who shows the same playfulness that Taneyev exhibits, but perhaps not quite the same feeling for melody.
This disc compares well to Stephen Gunzenhauser's attempt with the Polish National Orchestra on Marco Polo. The recording is much clearer, 'crisper', than the Marco Polo, but it sometimes borders on the harsh. In my book, the best fourth is still Järvi's (also on Chandos, combined with the excellent Oresteia overture), but Polyansky's forces fare rather better with the second symphony than those of Gunzenhauser. If you have the money, buy this disk and Järvi's - you will not regret it, even with two versions of the fourth. If not, this is a very good starting point.

Underrated composer.......2003-06-18

Taneyev is an amazingly underrated composer. Before the 1980's, he was barely known outside the USSR, yet he was a student of Tchaikovsky. Taneyev's second symphony proves his worth just in the first movement. The entire work attains the power and passion of the Tchaikovsky 5th and 6th symphonies. One can definitly hear the teahcer's influence on Taneyev. There's even a quote from Handel's Hallelujah. Both symphonies are remarkable masterpieces and well worth hearing. I hope to see more Taneyev works on disk. Polyansky and his Russian forces draw the fire and Russian spirit out of both of the works. I hope to see Chandos release more works with this orchestra and conductor. Highly recommended for anyone, especially fans of Russian music!

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Only part of the story
Some other comparisons (perhaps helpful)
The World Needs You, Douglas Lilburn!
Nordic Kiwi.
Highly Interesting Symphonies

3 Symphonies
Lilburn , Judd , and New Zealand Sym Orch
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Douglas Lilburn: A Song of Islands; Aotearoa Overture; Forest
Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto; Fantasy Variations; Nymphs and Satyr; Summer Seascape; Pastorale; Serenade
Peter Sculthorpe: Earth Cry; Piano Concerto
Alfvén: Symphony No. 5; Andante religioso
Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto

ASIN: B000066JHR
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Tracks:

Allegro Non Troppo
Andante Con Moto
Allegro
Prelude: Moderato
Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
Introduction: Poco Lento
Finale: Allegro
Moderato - Vivace - Allegro - Andante - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Only part of the story.......2007-03-01

At first, Lilburn was mostly known outside New Zealand, on l.p.s, as the composer of a symphony #2 and an overture: Aotearoa. Gradually a couple of other slight pieces joined their ranks. On cds, Lilburn's other works have become available, including a first and a third symphony, and his music is frequently reviewed in BBC Music Magazine as well as on Amazon. As customer reviewers have pointed out, Lilburn will often remind you of Sibelius, though I'd emphasize that his own distinctive voice is plain in all three of these symphonies--no more so than in the third, which could almost be taken as a mature, confident rethinking of ideas already broached in the second symphony. (Far from being "stern," the third is often the most light-hearted of the three, the light-heartedness of confidence--sprezzatura.)

But the third is from 1961, and Lilburn lived until 2001. His original work lasted until at least 1979. With one (slighting) exception, neither Amazon nor BBC reviewers seem to know that Lilburn began writing electroacoustic music in the early sixties. Robert Hoskins, who wrote the notes for this cd of the symphonies says that they "represent the heart of [Lilburn's] creativity." Lilburn would not have agreed. He saw electronics as the best way to express what he thought needed expressing and composed little else after the third symphony. It's not listed on Amazon, but the three cd/one dvd collection on Atoll of Lilburn's truly mature (and truly distinctive) music is not difficult to find, and is well worth any effort it takes to find it. Lilburn set up the electronic music studios at the Victoria University of Wellington and already three generations of composers have worked there.

To truly know Lilburn in all his glory, you really have to have the Atoll set. The move from instrumental to electroacoustic was an aesthetically well-considered one. Here's what he said about it in 1975 in a note for a Kiwi Pacific Records album (and reprinted in the Atoll booklet), "What is it that attracts composers and students and listeners to this new medium? - perhaps a working context that allows imagination to make use of all the sounds that are part of our human listening experience. The working disciplines are quite as stringent as those required by older music, and the product can be used for wide range of human occasions. And surely, by utilising all sounds that make our audial experience, the medium is most valid for exploring our creative imaginative potential, here and now."

Some other comparisons (perhaps helpful).......2006-02-26

There are already well-done and positive reviews of this fine music, and I only add my 2 cents from the standpoint of possibly helping some potential listeners imagine the way Lilburn's music sounds. Personally, I hear less Nielson or Vaughan Williams and more Diamond, Piston and (for those of you who've heard him) the under-appreciated Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja. In other words, there's not much "English pastoralism" here, and the music is more updated and craggy (to my ears) than Nielson. Yet there is some first rate, and moving, melodic content. Tonal centers are somewhat elusive, but are certainly there, as in mid-period Piston and Diamond. Like those composers, Lilburn had the courage to write basically tonal music when quite a bit of the academic world was pretending it was dead. Yet his music is very clearly of it's time...nothing anachronistic at all about it.

I'd heard the 2nd Symphony before (and even had it on LP, but can't find it now), and it did not break through that strongly to me back then. I am guessing that James Judd and the NZSO deserved credit for handling Lilburn's music in a particularly perceptive and sympathetic way, such that we're getting the full measure of the music, which may not have been the case in the earlier performance. (Or maybe it's just my ears.) The sound is as good as Naxos gets, which is embarrassingly good when compared to some of the full-price labels.

The World Needs You, Douglas Lilburn!.......2003-08-30

The music of Douglas Lilburn, the greatest of all New Zealand composers, is beginning to come out of isolation and into the world -- and it's about time. I've long been enamored of Lilburn's Second Symphony, having discovered it on WQXR-FM, then obtaining the now out-of-print CD (on Kiwi/Stradivari) with Heenan conducting the NZSO. Judd's NZSO performance is equally exciting, and the brass chorales are as overwhelming to the senses as any of the Gabrielis'. This use of brass, although not so extended, is foreshadowed in the First Symphony. The later Third Symphony is equal to the others, although it's different in tone color and Lilburn's vision has become more introspective. I recommend all three.

But it's the "brash brass" of the first two that keeps running through my head. The sheer persistence and chutzpah of Lilburn's use of brass reminds me of Nielsen's manic percussion in his Fourth Symphony. Perhaps Lilburn's music is "Nordic," as some musicologists have suggested. He is frequently compared with Sibelius, but if any Scandinavian comparison need be made it should be to Nielsen.

However, I'd like to think that this outstanding music is pure New Zealand and that Lilburn owes his vision to his homeland's mountains, valleys, and towering clouds that pattern the land between episodes of shadow and brilliant sunlight. Those of us who've seen that island nation's vastness in THE LORD OF THE RINGS now know why it can evoke such fierce and beautiful passion.

Nordic Kiwi........2003-04-27

A few enthusiastic on-the-web reviews of this CD, and one in Fanfare magazine, were all it took for me to give the music of Douglas Lilburn, a recently-deceased (2001) New Zealand composer, a try. (At Naxos prices, what is there to lose, anyway?) It turns out that I'm glad that I did, even though, after listening to the CD numerous times, I've come to recognize minor inaccuracies in at least one of those on-line reviews (elsewhere, not here at Amazon.com). Lilburn's music turned out to be well worth my time, in more ways than one.

Despite Lilburn's having studied in England with Ralph Vaughan Williams, there is not very much in these three symphonies to suggest an obvious connection, except through very careful listening (and, clearly, a knowledge of Vaughan Williams's works). Even then, the connection is subtle and fleeting for the most part, and only truly evident in the two earlier symphonies. Elsewhere in these works, parallels to other 20th-century composers can be made, most obviously - and particularly in the two earlier works - to Jean Sibelius, Sir William Walton, Howard Hanson and Carl Nielsen (hence the "Nordic Kiwi" reference in the brief description at the top).

Lilburn's three-movement First Symphony (1949) comes across as - despite his New Zealand origins - unabashedly Nordic in its "sound." The first movement is very Sibelius-like, with its building up of the work from small motivic cells, using harmonic and instrumental-color touches (woodwind pairs in thirds, for example) that remind one of the great Finn. The more brilliant parts of the movement also suggest Walton, particularly his Symphony No. 1. Several minutes into this first movement, there is a clarinet figure which reminds one of Nielsen, but then, immediately after, the thought of Sibelius returns stronger than ever. There is even a hint of very late Sibelius, say, his "Tapiola," in the movement's occasional moments of bleakness.The second movement opens in a Vaughan Williams-like pastoral mood to start, following which the alternation among Hanson, Sibelius and Nielsen seems to again dominate. The third movement again brings Vaughan Williams or Walton, as well as Sibelius, to mind. There is a brass theme reminiscent of Walton's "Crown Imperial," followed by more work reminiscent of RVW, along the lines of his "Folk Song Suite" or, perhaps, portions of his London Symphony or the more pastoral Third and Fifth Symphonies. This final movement closes in a manner that is very much Hanson-like in its neoromantic richness; it is almost a ringer for the closing moments of Hanson's own Romantic (2nd) Symphony.

Much the same can be said for the four-movement Second Symphony (1951), in terms of allusions to these aforementioned composers. But the third-movement Lento invests this later work in depth of emotional intensity (reminiscent of the Largo movement of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony) not experienced in the earlier work. Overall, it is the more engaging (and more fully-developed) work of the two.

The Third Symphony (1961) represents a dramatic change in compositional aesthetic from the two earlier works from the previous decade. It is definitely sterner stuff: much more chromatic and stretching the limits of tonality almost to the edge of atonality, and with little evidence of the Nordic sound of the two earlier works. In fact, the allusions are more to William Schuman or, perhaps, Paul Hindemith, with some suggestion of Serge Prokofiev in the "Vivace" section and Béla Bartók, as in his Concerto for Orchestra, in the "Andante" section. Despite its 14-minute terseness (in one movement that Lilburn divides into five connected sections), it is a richer and more rewarding (if more challenging) work than the earlier two symphonies.

Admittedly, my comments appear to describe these Lilburn symphonies as "rich in borrowed eclecticism." But, if you enjoy the works of any of the composers who seem to be alluded to in these works, you're likely to enjoy this album. The first two works will not challenge you greatly, perhaps, and Lilburn's voice is hardly what I'd characterize as "truly original," but they are tuneful and totally tonal in a way that today's neoromantic composers seem unable to achieve. Worth a listen on those grounds alone.

The recording is fine; perhaps a slight bit on the congested side when listened to on speakers but seemingly clearer when heard on wide-range headphones. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra acquits itself very well in these works (as one expects it should).

The booklet notes are largely a waste, consisting of only the barest biographical materials and little of musicological merit, especially considering that for many this will be their first experience with Lilburn's music.. Anyone able to make the "Nordic" connections that I (and other reviewers) have made, with little trouble at all, will be frustrated by the fact that the notes say little about Lilburn's music and its possible influences and inspirations beyond the fact that he studied with Vaughan Williams.

A recent news article on Klaus Heymann, the founder/owner of Naxos, states that he lives in New Zealand and no longer oversees the Naxos operation with the same day-to-day attention to detail that he earlier did, in establishing the label's reputation.

And it shows. To me, it seems as if he had little if any direct role in championing this release; it doesn't have his characteristic "fingerprints" for notational detail and scholarship. (By contrast, the Naxos booklet notes for the recent "critical edition" recordings of the Charles Ives 2nd and 3rd Symphonies, by Kenneth Schermerhorn and James Sinclair respectively, are models of musicological clarity and comprehensiveness.) As a result, I feel as if I can give this release only four stars, despite the novelty of the music, as well as its performance, being reasonably meritorious.

Bob Zeidler

Highly Interesting Symphonies.......2002-09-20

I had not heard of Douglas Lillburn before the release of this disc. I became interested after reading reviews of this disc. His symphonies are highly interesting and although there may not be a melody that you remember, his musical ideas make great listening. Lillburn was from New Zealand and studied music in England, most notably with Ralph Vaughan Williams. His music has been compared to Sibelius and Vaughan Williams but, for me, there is a lot of Walton in his approach to orchestration. One review I read suggested that the Third Symphony was a bit difficult and abrasive at first hearing but I did not find this to be the case.

The Second Symphony was inspired by Lillburn's love of nature. In this symphony he sonically gives his impressions of the landscape of New Zealand that is especially expressive. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra play the symphonies beautifully, and the recording is superb. I highly recommend this disc of very approachable modern music.

Nicolas Flagello: Piano Concerto No. 1; Dante's Farewell; Concerto Sinfonico
Average customer rating:

Great music, variable performances.

"A" Material from Flagello

Gorgeous stuff

Flagello's "Film-Noir" Concerto

Nicolas Flagello: Piano Concerto No. 1; Dante's Farewell; Concerto Sinfonico

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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