Search - Gustav Mahler, George Szell, Zubin Mehta :: Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 10 (Adagio)

Misguided Rerelease

Jonathan Stern | New York, New York USA | 06/08/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Mehta's performance of the First is respectable, but in truth, you can do far better, even on a budget label (see Haitink/RCO, Kubelik, Walter on SONY, etc.). The main importance of this CD should have been Szell and Cleveland's rendition of the Tenth. This outstanding performance, which showcased Szell and Cleveland at their absolute peak, was also the first (and, to this date, only) recording ever of Ernst Krenek's version of two movements of the Tenth (the Adagio and Purgatorio movements, which we now know as movements I and III of "complete" versions of the Tenth). Interestingly enough, the score of this version is by far the easiest to obtain (the Adagio that is usually performed [International Edition]is difficult to locate, for some reason; the five-movement realizations are either very expensive or unpublished), despite the relative dearth of live and recorded performances. Why on earth did SONY rerelease only the Adagio? The Purgatorio is only several minutes of music! Surely they could have fit it onto this CD (or else, pair Szell's Tenth with another composition by Mahler or even someone else). We thus get an incomplete fragment of an incomplete fragment! Here, SONY had in its vault something special, something of tremendous historical importance to Mahler fans all over the world, spectacularly performed by one of the greatest conductor/orchestra teams in history, and they just blew it. Rereleasing the "complete" Krenek realization of the Tenth was far more important than pairing this particular Adagio out of its original context with a second-tier First. Simply put, this release is an insult to Krenek, those who assisted him (an interesting group - Berg, Schalk, Zemlinsky), and, of course, Szell and his Cleveland Orchestra. Hence the low rating, despite the excellence of the Adagio."

What's so Bad?

Noah Lambert | Chicago, IL USA | 02/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I seem to be the only person who enjoyed this recording of Mahler's 1st Symphony. The interpretation is "middle of the road" not to fast not to slow. I thought that especially the third mvt. was very nice. I think people might say Mehta lacks fire in the fourth mvt. because he choses a slower tempo than others. Often I find people confuse passion and fire for faster tempo. Besides this the playing of the New York Philharmonic is marvelous. Especially the brass section. Anyways the best part of the CD is the adagio of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. This was done by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Very brilliant playing. The opening is perfectly executed and for an older recording the sound is great. For me the adagio really stands out as a mvt that is capable of standing by itself, to include other parts of the Tenth with out doing the whole thing would have left me a little empty. Also the other mvt's aren't as good or as well arranged. Overall this is fine CD to become aquainted with these two works. There are many, many different ways to interpret Symphony No. 1 and this is a fine way to do it. I might consider other recordings of the Titan Symphony before this one, but for those on a budget this makes a great deal."