Dame Janet Baker, Jennie Tourel - Mahler: The Complete Symphonies ~ Bernstein
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Free Music Notes for Mahler: The Complete Symphonies ~ Bernstein
Free Music Review: 12 Discs Of Outstanding Music, Look No Further!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I've just read a bunch of reviews here and suffice it to say, if you take the advice of every opinion you'll have to own about 10 different copies of each symphony because so-and-so performed the 3rd better, or the 5th, etc...you'll go crazy trying to sort it all out!!
Simply put, if you want an absolutely spectacular set of Mahler's 9 completed symphonies with some great bonuses included, look no further. Every recording on this set is an absolute masterpiece; sweeping, epic grandeur with beautiful sound quality on every disc!! Leonard Bernstein also brings a rather unique perspective to every recording here, as he invested an enormous amount of time in one-on-one research, inquiry & study with surviving musicians who actually played in orchestras conducted by Gustav Mahler himself back in the early days of the 20th century. Bernstein was also years ahead of most other conductors in bringing these symphonies to the light of day in the first place, a real pioneer who was performing these symphonies while many other conductors recommended here were still in elementary school!!!
Yes, sure, maybe this conductor or that orchestra may have recorded a version of this or that at a slightly better tempo, or featured a slighly better sounding vocalist, or whatever...it's all a matter of personal taste. Bottom line here is that this is an absolutely outstanding set and I think you would be
HARD-PRESSED to find a better sounding collection of these beautiful symphonies even if you bought every version ever recorded :-) Just relax, put on your headphones, forget about the kazillion opinions out there and soak up some of the most gorgeous music ever recorded which is right here in this great box set. Happy listening :-)
Free Music Review: Great Set and a nice price..what a deal!
Hit: 5 Stars
This review is for the CD - compact disk - boxed set titled "Gustav Mahler - The Complete Symphonies - Leonard Bernstein" issued by Sony Classical.
This boxed set consists of 12 compact disks each housed in a sturdy cardboard sleeve. Each sleeve features an image of Mr. Bernstein on the front and a track listing on the back. The track times are not listed on the sleeves.
A 66 page CD size booklet is part of the set. This booklet has a complete disk, track and recording data listing. Noteworthy is a reprint of a very insightful article on Mahler by Mr. Bernstein. Also included are English translations of the songs lyrics.
The 12-sleeved disks and the booklet are stored in a sturdy hinged cardboard box. This box is very compact - about 2 and half inches high and fits nicely on your music shelf either upright or on the side since the contents identification is on all sides of the box. On the box bottom is a summary of the contents of each CD. This is a well-designed boxed set!
Of interest to this listener is that not all the recordings were made with the New York Philharmonic. Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" was recorded with the London Symphony orchestra and on Disk 10 Kindertotenlieder was recorded with the Israel Philharmonic.
I am not a musician or a music scholar. I do enjoy Mahler and have several of his symphonies by other conductors in my collection. I have listened to this collection several times and recommend these disks.
Free Music Review: Great Mahler at an unbeatable price
Hit: 5 Stars
The great news with this cycle is that the price alone makes this a must have for any serious Mahler fan. However you view Bernstein, as the quintessential Mahler conductor or as something less, it is doubtful that you'll find anyone who approached Mahler with more insight and passion than Bernstein did. At least not on this scale. One of the real gems in this package is a reprint of an essay Bernstein wrote on Mahler during the period of the recordings. It is scathing and brilliant, and leaves no doubt that Bernstein considers Mahler to be the great master composer/prophet of the modern age. Between the lines we can read Bernstein's deep sense of affinity with Mahler and his commitment to bringing his message to the world. As Berstein speaks of Mahler's fate, we get a sense of what Bernstein considered to be his.In any cycle of course there will be places where the performances fall short and there's no exception to that here. You'll want to compliment this cycle with other recordings. But you will also find some of the finest Mahler performances ever. The sound isn't the greatest, as has been pointed out (these recordings are old!), and key highlights sometimes suffer regrettably in the muddiness. And if it's technical mastery you're looking you're bound to be disappointed more than once. Despite all that, the raw intensity of the recordings is something that is a joy to hear. Nobody perhaps exploits the dichotomy and gargantuan scale that is Mahler better than Bernstein. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: An Awesome Set of Mahler Symphonies!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Sony Music's 12-disc set "Mahler: The Complete Symphonies" collects nearly all of the mammoth symphonies by the great Austrian composer Gustav Mahler under the baton of the late, great Leonard Bernstein.
Essentially, the set brings the individual "Bernstein Century" discs together in one place for a price that is way cheaper than the single discs combined. The only things missing from this set are the complete 10th symphony which Bernstein refused to conduct appart from its first movement (which is included here) and "Das Lied von der Erde" which is more of a symphonic song-cycle rather than an actual symphony (still awesome though).
The sheer epic power of these symphonies is unpredicented and uncovers the undeniable fact that Mahler was indeed a true genius. While the complexity and extended length of these symphonies may be overwhelming to some, their imporatance is something that is clearly never overshadowed.
The set also includes an extensive booklet with track details, essays from Bernstein and Tim Page as well as lyrics to all the symphonies that feature choirs and/or soloists.
Hands down, this is an essential addition to anyone's music collection. Maestro Bernstein has indeed brought out the very best in these amazing Mahler symphonies and the performances here are flawless.
Highly, Highly Recommended!!!
Recommended first listens on this set: Symphony Nos. 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9.
Free Music Review: Wow
Hit: 5 Stars
For the past two years, I had been listening to the Solti/CSO recordings of the complete Mahler symphonies. And, while I still love them, this Bernstein boxed set is truly exceptional (in many ways better).First, let me point out the obvius, for under $70, you are getting 12 CDs: a mind-blowing deal in today's world of overpriced recordings.
Secondly, Bernstein's Mahler is legendary. This boxed set of his features him as a younger man conducting, which can be good or bad, depending on how you like your Bernstein. Personally, I prefer his fresher, younger recordings because he plays with much more fire and zest. Regardless of whether you like earlier/later Bernstein, he had incredible things to say about Mahler throughout his entire career.
There are two problems with this set however. First, in general the sound quality is good, but not GREAT. That's too bad, but I don't think it gets in the way of enjoying these moving performances. Second, you may want to invest in some good speakers. These recordings have a massive dynamic range, which is great for Mahler, but can be problematic if a) your speakers [are bad] or b) you don't like music loud. If you don't like music to be loud, I'm unsure why you are listening to Mahler anyways, but do keep this in mind before you buy the set.
I'm not sure why this isn't listed as an Amazon.com essential recording. This is Mahler as he should be played.