Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Product Details
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
György Solti has come in for his share of hard knocks as a Mahler interpreter, and no one will pretend that he has the same sort of intuitive empathy for this music that Leonard Bernstein has. But he does have the Chicago Symphony Orchestra--no mean advantage--and many of these performances have come up sounding rather well. London also has been smart to include his first (and better) performance of the Fifth, and he generally does quite well by Symphonies Nos. 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9 as well. There may be better performances of the other symphonies available, and every music lover will have personal preferences, but at a budget price this set offers pretty impressive value for the money. It deserves its success. --David Hurwitz
Customer Reviews
A Staggering Achievement
The Chicago Symphony set the standard for modern orchestras, rising to the top of the orchestral world in the 1960s and staying there into the late 1980s. These recordings span much of that era, and while the recording and editing technologies often fail to do justice to these performances, the final product is still stunning. As an orchestral musician and conductor, I've performed and/or conducted almost all these works. While Solti's interpretations can be a bit extroverted, he has a sense of structure and flow that is unmatched by other conductors. These sprawling symphonies come across as cohesive statements. The Chicago Symphony's playing is consistently excellent and often unbelievably good. No other Mahler symphony set has this high a level of consistency and excellence, though I'm sure someone (probably Berlin & Rattle) will find a higher peak soon enough. Enjoy.
A coarse translation of Mahler's symphonies
Sir Georg Solti's 'in your face' approach is here most evident, one he employed in many recordings of operatic and orchestral works. Sometimes it works, when Mahler is at his most bombastic, but it fails when Mahler becomes more introspective.
I bought this set many years ago for the playing of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of the best in the world when these recordings were made, in 1970-71 and 1980-83. And I was not disappointed. The sound is excellent; and the price for this set was fairly competitive.
The most irritating feature of this set is how the symphonies are cut up, butchered, so that most of them are spread over two discs. Only Nos 1, 4, 5, and 6, are contained on a single disc. Strange, since even the longer symphonies, such as No 2 (Resurrection) and No 8 (Of a Thousand) have been released individually on a single CD.
Solti does provide us with some superb interpretations, however. Symphony No 8 stands out, for example, one of the most difficult concert works to pull together successfully. But, better to purchase individual recordings of the symphonies, featuring your favourite interpreters.
solti is superlative
Solti is superlative in Mahler. Strong,sober and precise. Is the exactly opposite of the affected and pretentious style of Bernstein. The orquestal balance and the management of dynamics is excellent. Is, by far, the best whole cycle. For individual alternatives to some symphonies, I would like to mention Klemperer 2, 7 and 9; Mengelberg 4; Barbirolli 2, 6 and 9; Horenstein 3. Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
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