Search - Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, John Barbirolli :: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7; Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9

The john barbirolli experience: ...but beautiful

Will Saar | ramapo valley, NJ | 12/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"something about every recording (abbado, horenstein, that i listen to of the 7th puts its..um..essence? just out of my reach. i dont get it the way i get other mahler symphonies, say the 5th, 2nd or 3rd. then there was this.
barbirolli makes sense of it all. and the sounds that are produced on the way are nothing short of intoxicating, a song of the night, to close ones eyes to.
the bruckner, needs to be paused after the last movement of the mahler 7 drifts into memory.
bruckner's 9th is handled with care, depth, and insight, deserving of being on its own. as a two-fer, this cd combo is proof of redemption in the world. i dont know why i wrote that, but it makes sense after listening to the recordings, somehow.
(it's hard enough trying to explain sound with letters on a glowing screen, you see)"

Cannot be overlooked - for the collection

L. Johan Modée | Earth | 10/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Barbirolli's Mahler interpretations always strike me as deeply memorable, whatever the quality of playing and recording. I am not a fan, though, just a Mahlerite collector. This is certainly not the first choice among the many recordings we have of Mahler's seventh symphony. It is a live, mono recording. Hallé orchestra, here combined with members from the BBC Northern SO, is not in top form and the recording quality is less good. But then we have the interpretation: as always, Barbirolli provides a warmly humanistic and passionate interpretation, never dull and never out of focus. The orchestra plays also with convincing commitment and great enthusiasm. Serious Mahlerite collectors need to hear this moving testimony.



Collectors who just want one superb live recording of this work should probably look elsewhere. Consider, for instance, Kubelik (Audite), Kondrashin (Tahra) or Abbado (DG, with Berliner Philharmoniker). For an excellent studio account, try Gielen (Hänssler).



This twofer contains also Barbirolli's Hallé interpretation of Bruckner's no. 9. In terms of a Bruckner interpretation, it is less convincing than, say, Jochum's (DG) or Kubelik's (Orfeo). But, again, Barbirolli has always an interesting point of view. It is a fine fill up, but the main attraction is the Mahler piece.

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If the Mahler 7th never quite works for you, try this one

Alan | New York, NY | 06/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Will Saar has it right. Although I haven't heard every recording of the Mahler Seventh, I have heard a number of them. I've always loved the symphony, but I always feel that it's a collection of fascinating sections that don't add up to a really satisfying whole.I've always suspected that there is a way to play the symphony that makes it cohere, so that each movement follows logically from the preceding movement. I mean with emotional logic.Barbirolli gets all of it right, and you pretty much know he's going to from the opening few bars. Every moment is strongly characterized, but in a way that always seems to be pointing toward where we're going in the end.The orchestra for the Mahler combines members of both Barbirolli's own Hallé Orchestra and the BBC Northern Symphony. Neither was ever one of the world's greatest orchestras, yet they not only hold it together but often play with great eloquence (and most of the players had probably never played the piece before). There was obviously an extraordinary commitment to realize Barbirolli's vision of this great work. (And the Nielsen Fifth was also played at the concert from which this recording comes, presumably before the Mahler!)As for the Bruckner, I have to admit that I've never been a great Bruckner fan. I want to love Bruckner, but I usually end up mostly bored. Occasional striking moments catch my attention, but overall I just don't get it.Barbirolli's performance, which (to the degree I feel able to judge) seems choppier than others I've heard, holds my interest. As with the Mahler, there seems to be a dramatic throughline to this performance, with each section strongly characterized but in a way that adds up to a dramatic and moving experience. I wonder if Bruckner lovers will like it as much as I do, but I do know that I like it.In any case, I feel firmly that this is one of the best, if not the best, Mahler Sevenths out there. I should mention that these are both live performances. The Mahler is from 1960, the Bruckner from 1961. There are occasional slight flubs, and the mono sound is not the greatest. But the sound is actually pretty good, though obviously not state of the art even for 1960. And the performances are very special."