Search - Gustav Mahler, Lorin Maazel, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphony No. 4

Heavenly voice for the Heavenly Life

Charles T. Neal | Globe, AZ, United States | 12/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording, to me, is the best I've heard in my 40 years as a Mahler fan. I've heard it hundreds of times, and each time, I still close my eyes and feel the tears of heavenly joy when Kathleen Battle's voice soars in the "Saint Ursula" line in the final movement. As for the orchestra: heavier Mahler is better done by the New York Philharmonic, but the fourth is perhaps the most Viennese of Mahler's work, and the Vienna Philharmonic is as perfect for it as they are for Johann Strauss. What can you say of Lorin Maazel other than "one of the the great conductors of the 20th century?" The combination of Battle, the Vienna Phil, and Maazel makes this one THE definitive Mahler fourth, in my book.(credentials of critic: BA in applied music, bassoon performance and composition; former principal bassoonist in a number of minor orchestras as well as the USAF Academy band; public school band director in the late 60's; a Mahler fan since teenage years)"

Maazel, a great Mahlerian....

Ytzan | Athens, GR | 10/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a pitty that we label conductors. Mahlerian, Brucknerian... Maazel is one of the most versitile conductors of today and I have had the chance to hear him twice live (with the BRSO) in breathtaking performances of the Classics and the Romantics. I have acquired his complete cycle with the VPO for Sony and I was greatly surprised with the music-making. There are for sure instances that Horenstein and Bernstein can not be surpassed but this account of the 4th has it's place with the very best. Clean sound, sentimental playing and a great finale with Kathleen Battle singing heavenly. Bravo Maestro...."

One of Maazel's Best Conducted Mahler Symphonies

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 05/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without a doubt, Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra recorded an important, if by no means, definitive, Mahler symphony cycle in the 1980's. This performance is among the best in that cycle. Maazel gives a straightforward reading of Mahler's most "Pastorale" symphony. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plays Mahler's score with a strongly pronounced lush, warm Viennese sound. Admittedly some may find it a bit too warm for their tastes. Yet this recording is a highly recommend account of Mahler's 4th Symphony in the 1999 edition of the Grammophone Guide to Classical CDs. Kathleen Battle's singing is wonderful; her voice glows, with a bell-like intonation. Even if this isn't your first choice for a Mahler 4th Symphony, it is still one worth owning."