Maazel: Mahler – Symphonies 1-10 (14 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor: Lorin Maazel
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 14 CD box set
Format: LAC (image+cue)
Label: Sony
Size: 2.95 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
Symphony No. 1 in D major “Titan”
01. Langsam. Schleppend
02. Immer sehr gemachlich
03. Kraftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
04. Trio. Recht gemachlich
05. Tempo primo
06. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zг schleppen
07. Sehr einfach und schlicht wie eine Volksweise
08. Wieder etwas bewegter, wie am Anfang
09. Sturmisch bewegt – Energisch

CD 02
Symphony No. 2 in D minor “Resurrection”
01. I. Allegro Maestoso
02. II. Andante moderato
03. III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung

CD 03
Symphony No. 2 in D minor “Resurrection”
01. IV. “Urlicht”. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
02. V. Im Tempo des Scherzos, Wild herausfahrend
Eva Marton, soprano
Jessy Norman, soprano

CD 04
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
01. I. (1) Kraftig. Entschieden
02. I. (2) Langsam. Schwer
03. I. (3) Tempo I
04. I. (4) a tempo
05. I. (5) Immer dasselbe Tempo (Marsch)
06. I. (6) (Allegro moderato)
07. I. (7) Tempo I
08. II. (1) Tempo di Menuetto. Sehr mдЯig
09. II. (2) a tempo
10. II. (3) Ganz plцtzlich gemachlich. Tempo di Menuetto
11. III. (1) Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast
12. III. (2) Wieder sehr gemдchlich, wie zu Anfang
13. III. (3) Sehr gemдchlich
14. III. (4) Tempo I
15. III. (5) Wieder sehr gemдchlich, beinahe langsam

CD 05
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
01. IV. (1) Sehr langsam. Misterioso. Durchaus ppp
02. IV. (2) Piu mosso subito. ”O Mensch! Gib acht!”
03. V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck. ”Es sun…
04. VI. (1) Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden
05. VI. (2) Nicht mehr so breit
06. VI. (3) Tempo I. Rehevoll
07. VI. (4) a tempo (Etwas bewegter)
08. VI. (5) Tempo I
09. VI. (6) Langsam. Tempo I

Kindertotenlieder
10. No. 1 “Nun will die Sonn’ so hell aufgeh’n”
11. No. 2 “Nun seh’ ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen”
12. No. 3 ‘Wenn dein Mutterlein”
13. No. 4 “Oft denk’ ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen!”
14. No. 5 “In diesem Wetter” – Mit ruhelos schmerzvollem

Agnes Baltsa, mezzo-soprano
Wiener Sangerknaben
Damenchor der Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsoper

CD 06
Symphony no 4 in G major
01. Bedachtig. Nicht eilen
02. In gemachlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast
03. Ruhevoll. Poco Adagio
04. Sehr behaglich ‘Wir geniesen die himmlischen Freuden’
Kathleen Battle, soprano

CD 07
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
01. Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt
02. Plotzlich schneller.
03. Movement I: Tempo I
04. Sturmisch bewegt, mit grosster Vehemenz
05. Langsam, aber immer 2/2
06. Nicht eilen
07. Scherzo. Kraftig, nicht zu schnell
08. Etwas ruhiger
09. Molto moderato
10. A tempo I
11. Tempo I (subito)
12. Adagietto. Sehr langsam
13. Rondo-Finale. Allegro
14. Nicht eilen. A tempo
15. Grazioso

CD 08
Symphony No. 6 in A minor
01. Allegro energico, ma non troppo
02. Sherzo. Wuchtig
03. Andante moderato

CD 09
Symphony No. 6 in A minor
01. Finale. Allegro moderato – Allegro energico

Symphony No. 7 in E minor
02. Langsam (Adagio)
03. Nicht schleppen
04. Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo
05. a tempo (sempre l’istesso)
06. Subito Allegro I. Ziemlich ruhig
07. Adagio (Tempo der Einleitung)
08. Maestoso. Allegro come prima
09. Nachtmusik. Allegro moderato
10. Sempre l’istesso tempo. Nicht eilen, sehr gemachlich
11. Tempo

CD 10
Symphony No. 7 in E minor
01. Scherzo. Schattenhaft
02. Trio
03. Wieder wie zu Anfang (nicht eilen)
04. Nachtmusik. Andante amoroso
05. Measure 187
06. Rondo-Finale. Tempo I (Allegro ordinario)
07. Gemessen! Nicht zu schnell! Tempo II
08. Tempo I (Halbe wie die Viertel des Tempo I)
09. Sempre L’istesso tempo

CD 11
Symphony No. 8 in E flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”
01. Veni creator spiritus
02. Implу superna gratia
03. Infirma nostri corporis
04. Tempo I
05. Infirma nostri corporis
06. Accende lumen sensibus
07. Qui Paraclitus diceris
08. Gloria Patri Domino

CD 12
Symphony No. 8 in E flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”
01. Poco adagio
02. Piu mosso
03. “Waldung, sie schwankt heran”
04. Ewiger Wonnebrand”
05. Wie Felsenabgrund mir zu Fussen
06. Gerettet ist das edle Glied
07. Jene Rosen aus den Handen
08. Uns bleibt ein Erdenrest
09. Ich spur’ soeben, nebelnd um Felsenhoh’
10. Freudig empfangen
11. Hochste Herrscherin der Welt
12. “Jungfrau, rein im schonsten Sinne”
13. “Ausserst langsam”
14. “Dir, der Unberuhrbaren”
15. Bei der Liebe, die den Fussen
16. Bei dem Bronn, zu dem schon weiland
17. Bei dem hochgeweihten Orte
18. Die du grossen Sunderinnen
19. Neige, neige, du Ohnegleiche
20. Er uberwachst uns schon
21. Vom edlen Geistercor umgeben
22. Komm! Komm!
23. Blicket auf
24. Alles Vergangliche
Siegmund Nimsgern,
Florence Quivar,
Brigitte Fassbaender,
Simon Estes,
Richard Leech,
Pamela Coburn,
Wolfram Koloseus,
Sharon Sweet

CD 13
Symphony No. 9 in D major
01. I. Andante comodo
02. II. Im Tempo eines gemдchlichen Lдndlers. Etwas t…
03. III. Rondo-Burleske. Allegro assia. Sehr trotzig

CD 14
Symphony No. 9 in D major
01. IV. Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zuruckhaltend

Symphony No. 10 in F sharp major (unfinished)
02. I. Andante – Adagio

Beautiful Vienna

Overall, a very sound Mahler set. While my music collection doesn’t include a lot by maestro Lorin Maazel, his approach is slow, thoughtful and perhaps a bit detached, but the beautiful sounds he gets from the wonderful Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra make the set worth the journey. I guess having the world’s greatest orchestra to bring forth one’s musical vision is always an asset.

If you love Mahler you have to get this collection.

There are so many interpretations on Mahler’s…sometimes it could be hard for us, Malherians in hart and soul, to get what we could think will fill our expectations. No doubt Bernstein’s are wonderful but, almost any other conductor that had directed Mahler’s symphonies can’t be named as a disaster. In fact, to conduct Mahler you have to be a good conductor, and a very good one. Maazel is not the exception; this limited edition with the Vienna Philharmonic have almost all what I look in a Mahler’s symphonies version. It has many outstanding features and a few downsides which are more related to the delicacy or intimacy of some passages rather than with the technical perfection (if there is anything perfect about playing music…). The first symphony have have enough power to compete with Bernstein’s, leading to a slower finale with powerfull percussion that adds a very solemn, serious mood, rather than a festive character. Sometimes it gives the impression that brasses plays over the top, but this is what is marvelous about Mahler. Why a conductor have to limit all that power at loud passages instead of giving it the strongest and powerfull way he can? The first movement from “Resurrection” is, to put it simple, to blow your head off…compared with this one the Rattle’s version with CBSO sounds anaemic…and same can say about the hughe forces that Maazel uses on the other loud passages from the rest of the symphonies, with the exception of the Eighth…here the absolute winner is Solti’s. About the other downsides, well…I did not like the very slow tempo on the Third’s finale, which I prefer with Bernstein and Solti; that is, a little bit faster. The fifth movement from the Third is too dark, somewhat muted, and all that delicate and passionate parts that we love from Mahler like the adagio from the Fifth are a little bit dry and cold. But from the Sixth to the Tenth, the overall result is much more than good…in fact, I totally loved Mazeel’s version of the Sixth and Ninth. Prior of listen to Maazel my favorite Sixth was Abbado’s and the Ninth was Bruno Walter but now I am not so shure. In sume, as I quoted in the title, you will not forgive yourself if you do not get this collection, no matter how many versions of Mahler’s symphonies you have (I have four versions of the First, for example…but I will not get rid of any of them!)