A belated thank you for your support, Antonio.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 1 (Rafael Kubelík)


Information

Composer: Gustav Mahler
  1. Symphony No. 1 in D major: I. Langsam, schleppend. Immer sehr gemächlich
  2. Symphony No. 1 in D major: II. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
  3. Symphony No. 1 in D major: III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
  4. Symphony No. 1 in D major: IV. Stürmisch bewegt - Energisch

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík, conductor
Date: 1979
Label: Audite
http://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/95467-g_mahler_symphony_no_1.html


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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

Rafael Kubelik enjoyed making recordings, particularly of Mahler symphonies, which he felt benefited from the perfection achievable under studio conditions. This accounts at least in part for the sometimes striking differences between his live and studio performances of the same work. It would be too simplistic to say that the whole matter boils down to “cool and controlled” versus “passionate and free” interpretations. At all times, Kubelik remained a vital, intense, committed conductor of whatever music he was playing. However, he was one of the few artists self-aware enough to recognize the fact that the kind of spontaneity that he permitted himself in front of an audience might not always transfer well to disc. This is certainly one of the reasons his discographic legacy has worn so well over time. And although his live recordings are few and far between from his early years, they do increase in frequency as his interpretations matured and his relationship with his own Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra grew to the point where he had no doubts about the quality of the results he could obtain in concert.

Kubelik’s complete Mahler cycle for DG remains one of the most satisfying available (and miracle of miracles, it has actually remained available!) precisely because of its impressive musicality, balance, excitement, and inner tension. The First Symphony, in particular, has served as a reference edition of the work since the day it was recorded (in 1968). This live performance, taken from a concert on November 2, 1979, adds to the vernal freshness and warmth of Kubelik’s studio version a glorious, almost transcendental flexibility of pulse, the sort of thing that only happens when orchestra and conductor are completely in sync with each other. Even better, the technical quality of the playing has noticeably improved; the big moments (the climaxes of the first movement and finale) explode with the sort of energy that you usually associate with Leonard Bernstein, though without the slightest trace of exaggeration or expressive underlying that some listeners (but not me) object to in Lenny’s Mahler. Kubelik always had a special way with the Jewish tunes in the third movement funeral march, largely a function of his treatment of the trumpets, and he indulges the music’s nostalgic vulgarity even more fearlessly than previously. The first movement flows effortlessly from its magical opening right through to its rambunctious final bars, while the scherzo’s rustic high spirits and peasant dance rhythms spring directly from Kubelik’s Bohemian roots.

In short, this performance, like the Mahler Fifth Symphony similarly available from Audite as well as the Seventh in the New York Philharmonic’s Mahler box, occupies a special place in the pantheon of great Mahler symphony recordings. Audite’s sonics allow the full glory of Kubelik’s vision to emerge with complete naturalness. If you love Mahler, you must hear this no matter how many other Firsts you may have in your collection.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
MusicWeb International RECORDING OF THE MONTH
http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-1-G/dp/B00004TQUC

Tony Duggan considered this recording as a top recommendation in his survey:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Mahler/Mahler1.htm

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Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. In his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, but his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of neglect. After 1945, Mahler became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers. Mahler's œuvre is relatively small. Aside from early works, most of his are very large-scale works, designed for large orchestral forces, symphonic choruses and operatic soloists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Mahler

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Rafael Kubelík (29 June 1914 – 11 August 1996) was a Czech-born conductor. Kubelík was music director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (1941–48), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1950–53), musical director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden (1955–58), and music director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (1961–79), and was a frequent guest conductor for leading orchestras in Europe and America. Kubelík's complete discography is enormous, with complete cycles of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, and Mahler symphonies.

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6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Cheers mate and thank you ever so much!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Hi Ronald,
    Please re-up this one when you have a moment. Mank thanks!

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    http://lyksoomu.com/UUw3
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