Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Mahler considered The Song of the Earth his most personal work, and indeed it is one of his greatest and most moving. Its six sections, sung alternately by the mezzo-soprano and tenor, are set to seven poems from The Chinese Flute, a collection of Chinese lyrics translated into German by Hans Bethge, which echo Mahler's love of nature and contrast the earth's renewal each spring with the transience of human life. Composed after he lost his beloved 4-year-old daughter and was diagnosed with a serious heart ailment, the music encompasses heart-rending anguish and sublime ecstasy; conceived in the shadow of death, it is suffused with a sense of sorrowful, reluctant leave-taking finally transformed into resigned renunciation. The scoring for a large orchestra is masterful and includes many solo passages; melodic, harmonic, and instrumental devices at times create an oriental flavor. Among the work's many recordings, this is certainly one of the best. The orchestra is splendid; its wonderfully transparent sound, together with Klemperer's extremely leisurely, deliberate tempi, allows many apparently brand-new lines and details to come out and gives the second tenor solo a strikingly Chinese character. Moreover, the singers can be clearly heard, and they are incomparable: vocally glorious, musically deeply involved, sensitive to every expressive nuance and subtlety of words and music, they follow Mahler to the heights and depths of emotion, making the performance an overwhelming, unforgettable experience. --Edith Eisler Amazon.com essential recording

One of those rare recordings where everything surpasses all expectation

The modern Mahler revival began in the Sixties, and some recordings from that era have managed to survive all but unchallenged. That's certainly true of Klemperer's 'Das Lied.' On all counts it's likely never to be matched. Fritz Wunderlich still stands supreme among German lyric tenors, and although he didn't have enough voice to sing the part in concert, microphones come to his aid, allowing us to hear a resplendent, passionate account that's especially sensitive to the poetry. Christa Ludwig has had two equals in Janet Baker and Kathleen Ferrier, all three of whom sang 'Das Lied' many times. Of Ludwig's three recordings, this has the best sound, but she was amazingly consistent and sings for Bernstein (Sony) and Karajan (DG) with equal depth and artistry.

It's natural to notice the two soloists first because Mahler wrote such difficult music for them -- many fine Mahler conductors have had their 'Das Lied' recordings undone by inferior singing (e.g., Bruno Walter on his stereo remake for Columbia/Song, Tennstedt, Giulini, Boulez, Levine). Other conductors have been more fortunate: Kubelik on Auditie, Salonen, Tilson Thomas, Bruno Walter on three historic performances dating from the 30s to the early 50s. But Otto Klemperer was given the best of the beest, and he responded with a towering reading of the orchestral part, often as grave and deliberate as Walter was fast-paced and passionate. Both stand at the summit of Mahaler conducting.

In this latest remastering, EMI has done well by analog sound that was very good to begin with, and the New Philharmonia plays superbly. I lie awake at night musing on whether another generation will ever have the privilege of hearing music-making at such a peak. November 9, 2008

A great performance

While there are other wonderful performances of tese works, Klemperer & Wunderlich and Ludwig are the equal of any. Baker/Haitink being the only other great contender . They're each great in their own way. June 15, 2008

My favorite version of Das Lied

Isn't it interesting how differently people "hear" music? I thought the James King--Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau--Bernstein the least good of all versions I've heard and I have something like 6. Great conducting is uppermost, but without singers who can mesh technique with the emotional demands of the music and the poetry, no recording will stand out. Fischer-Dieskau, while a distinguished singer, was not the right guy for the job. My favorite is the Fritz Wunderlich--Christa Ludwig--Klemperer, followed by the Ferrier--Patzak--Walter recording. The Klemperer has everything, the beauty of the voices, especially Wunderlich and majestic sound even though it seems to have been patched together over a considerable period of time. The Walter stunned me, the first time I'd ever heard the work--the pathos and range of emotion of the vocals by Ferrier and Patzak, although each of these singers had, for me, voices that were not conventionally beautifully. Patzak sounds like a man who has lived fully (whether he did or not, I have no clue). As has been said previously Ferrier's performance is heart-rending, full of pathos. May 17, 2008

My favorite "Das Lied Von der Erde"

If I pick just one version of "Das Lied von der Erde", I'd probably choose this one. The singing is first-rate and the recorded sound is excellent.

Fortunately, I don't have such limitations and I can enjoy the wonderful Walter/Ferrier/Patzak version. The recorded sound is mono but it a wonderful interpretation.

Those are my two favorite recordings of "Das Lied".







December 1, 2007

Mahler as an Expressionist

I'm an Idiot. Still I can't think that this is Mahler as Expressionistic as he ever got. I hate musical Expressionism. I Love this though! From the first movement until the end, this is a work that I often return to, you can really hear the pain that Mahler was going through. The recording is great as well. I hope this helps. September 17, 2007

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