Post by Oscar December 27, 2007 (1 of 8)
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There are sereval Gustav Mahler recordings on the Exton/Octavia labels. I am tempted by a few of them but have had difficulty in finding reviews of these items. Any reccomendations ?
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I like Mahler: Symphony No. 3 - Mácal, which has a refreshing honesty and lack of ego in the conducting - very good sound too. I don't (yet) know the others.
Avoid Ashkenazy at all costs, he can make the most unified of the Mahler canon sound fragmentary...
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Post by mahlerei December 28, 2007 (3 of 8)
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I would agree with Polly Nomial. As much as I admire Ashkenazy the live Mahler concerts I have heard him in were all disappointing. This just isn't his forte. And I have reservations about the quality of Exton's recordings too.
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Post by Arthur December 28, 2007 (4 of 8)
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I agree about the Ashkenazy recordings. They're dull. The only Macal I have is the 4th. It is quite nice. Enough so that I've been thinking about investigating the rest.
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Post by akiralx December 28, 2007 (5 of 8)
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The Mahler: Symphony No. 3 - Kobayashi is superb, and also highly regarded on the Mahler forum.
Superb Czech PO playing and recording, and the conductor's grunting is for once held in check (if you'll excuse the pun...)
This is my favourite M3 of the half dozen or so I have.
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Post by terence December 29, 2007 (6 of 8)
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i bought this Mahler: Symphony No. 6 - Sieghart and found sieghart's mahlerian credentials most impressive - a very fine performance.
i wasn't so keen on the exton sound - a little scrappy and cluttered, i thought, and not the first of their releases to strike me as such.
overall, though, i'd recommend this.
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Oscar said:
There are sereval Gustav Mahler recordings on the Exton/Octavia labels. I am tempted by a few of them but have had difficulty in finding reviews of these items. Any reccomendations ?
I recently imported the 4th and 7th by Macal and the CPO
I enjoy the performances very much, there are no annoying mannerisms in the interpretation and the orchestral playing is honest and powerful without in any way lacking in refinement. The sound is for the most part natural and balanced and could certainly never be mistaken for a Redbook CD, but at the same time it is really lacking in dynamic range, which is just not forgivable for Mahler recordings!
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Post by Arthur February 23, 2008 (8 of 8)
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orborborb said:
I recently imported the 4th and 7th by Macal and the CPO
I enjoy the performances very much, there are no annoying mannerisms in the interpretation and the orchestral playing is honest and powerful without in any way lacking in refinement. The sound is natural and balanced and could never be mistaken for a Redbook CD, but at the same time it is really lacking in dynamic range, which is just not forgivable for Mahler recordings!
I recently added the Macal 3rd and 5th. I haven't played the 5th yet, but the 3rd is very good. I especially loved the characterful oboe in the laendler. The alto was magical on her first entry; however, as the music grows more intense she develops a bit of a wobble. This is my only real complaint. The sound is rich, but a little bottom-heavy for my tastes.
Based on the 3rd and 4th, I'm going to keep working my way through this cycle. I'm very interested in what further orborborb (or anyone else for that matter) can say about the 7th. This is one of the few works that I've got a single interpretation heavily imprinted in my psyche (the 1982 Haitink), and I've always hoped another could inspire similar passion, but in a different way. Haitink was the first for me who was able to make this work not seem disjointed, but still had some passion, especially in the first movement.
Bret
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