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MAHLER: Symphonies London Symphony/ Georg Solti 1+3: Decca 4827177 [2CD] 148 minutes 9: 4827163-80 minutes Before I dig into the music-making itself, I should discuss the recorded sound and the [...]

Herbert von Karajan Vienna Philharmonic 1946-1949 Warner 33618 [10CD] 11:21 And his soloists I, 1948-1958 Warner 33625 [8CD] 8 hours The story of how these recordings came to be and [...]

MAHLER: Symphonies 7-9 Sally Matthews, Ailish Tynan, Sarah Tynan, Sarah Connolly, Anne Marie Owens, Stefan Vinke, Mark Stone, Stephen Gadd; Philharmonia/ Lorin Maazel--Signum 362 [6CD] 4:30 Maazel was no stranger [...]

MAHLER: Symphonies (all); Totenfeier; Das Lied von der Erde Ricarda Merbeth, Miah Persson, Christine Brewer, Camilla Nylund, Maria Espada, s; Bernarda Fink, Stephanie Blythe, Anna Larsson, Mihoko Fujimura, a; Robert [...]

Wagner: The Ring Stephen Gould (Siegfried), Linda Watson (Brunnhilde), Albert Dohmen (Wotan), Andrew Shore (Alberich), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Michelle Breedt (Fricka), Endrik Wottrich (Siegmund), EvaMaria Westbroek (Sieglinde), Hans-Peter Konig (Hagen [...]

MAHLER: Symphonies 5+6 Frankfurt Radio/ Paavo Jarvi Cmajor 729404 [Blu-Ray] 729308 [2DVD] 180 min 5 is a sturdy but not outstanding performance. The competition is formidable. Part 1 is not [...]

MAHLER: Symphony 3 with 5 Marjana Lipovsek, Bavarian Radio/ Zubin Mehta Farao 108087 [Blu-Ray audio] 2:52 with 4 Waltraud Meier, Genia Kuhmeier, Frankfurt Radio/ Paavo Jarvi Cmajor 719204 [Blu-Ray video] [...]

BEETHOVEN: Symphonies; Coriolan, Egmont, Leonore 3 Overtures Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Marga Hoffgen, Ernst Haefliger, Otto Edelmann, Vienna Musikverein Chorus, Philharmonia/ Herbert von Karajan Warner 33735 [6CD] 7:12 If you're paying attention [...]

MAHLER: Symphony 2 Simona Saturova, s; Yvonne Naef, mz; Philadelphia Orchestra & Singers Chorale/Christoph Eschenbach Ondine 1134 [2CD] 87:31 with Adagio fr Symphony 10 Elena Mosuc, s; Zlata Bulycheva, mz; […]

WAGNER: The Ring of the Nibelung Donald McIntyre (Wotan), Gwyneth Jones (Brunnhilde), Hermann Becht (Alberich), Manfred Jung (Siegfried), Peter Hoffman (Siegmund), Jeannine Altmeyer (Sieglinde), Fritz Hubner (Hagen & Fafner), Matti […]

Barbara Bonney, Birgit Remmert, Kurt Streit, Thomas Hampson; Birmingham Symphony Chores, Vienna Philharmonic/Simon Rattle EM157445 [5CD] 316 minutes The perfect Beethoven set has never existed and probably never will, but […]

WAGNER: Die Walkure Nina Stemme (Brunnhilde), Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan), Simon O'Neill (Siegmund), Waltraud Meier (Sieglinde), John Tomlinson (Hunding), Ekaterina Gubanova (Fricka); La Scala/ Daniel Barenboim Arthaus 101694 [2 DVD] 238 [...]

MAHLER: Symphonies 1-3 Sally Matthew, s; Michelle DeYoung, Sarah Connolly, mz; BBC Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Voices, Tiffin Boys Choir, Philharmonia/Lorin Maazel Set: Signum 360 1 Signum 351--57 minutes 2 Signum [...]

BRUCKNER: Symphony 9 London Symphony/Bernard Haitink LSO 746 [SACD] 67 minutes Bern Symphony/Mario Venzago CPO 777 787--52 minutes These are both the standard three-movement edition of the symphony, so the [...]

WAGNER: The Ring Albert Dohmen (Wotan), Tomasz Konieczny (Alberich), Linda Watson (Brunnhilde), Katarina Dalayman (Brunnhilde), Stephen Gould (Siegfried), Wolfgang Schmidt (Mime), Anna Larsson (Erda), Christopher Ventris (Siegmund), Waltraud Meier (Sieglinde), [...]

Haydn lived from 1732 to 1809 and during his long life practically invented our music. This may seem like a strong statement, but look at what's behind it. When he […]

HAYDN: 7 Last Words Salzburg Camerata Academia/ Sandor Vegh Capriccio 8008-60 minutes This is a concert in Vienna from 1992 with a chamber orchestra conducted by the 89-yearold Vegh, one [...]

WAGNER: Die Walkure Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), HeidiC Melton (Sieglinde), Falk Struckmann (Hunding), Matthias Goerne (Wotan), Michelle DeYoung (Fricka); Hong Kong Philharmonic/ Jaap van Zweden Naxos 51--3:56 I've written on this [...]

MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde Jonas Kaufmann, Vienna Philharmonic/ Jonathan Nott-Sony 36983-62 minutes I have to admire Kaufmann for accepting this challenge. Sony's packaging doesn't say whether this is [...]

WAGNER: Die Walkure Rene Pape (Wotan), Nina Stemme (Brunnhilde), Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund), Anja Kampe (Sieglinde), Mikhail Petrenko (Hunding), Ekaterina Gubanova (Fricka); Mariinsky/ Valery Gergiev Mariinsky 527 [4CD] 237 minutes This [...]

Wagner: Tristan & Isolde Stephen Gould (Tristan), Nina Stemme (Isolde), Kwangchul Youn (Marke), Johan Reuter (Kurwenal), Michelle Breedt (Brangaene); Berlin Radio/ Marek Janowski Pentatone 5186404 [3SACD] 3:45 2013 is the [...]

BRUCKNER: Symphony 9 Berlin Philharmonic/ Simon Rattle EMI 52969--82 minutes The news here is that we have the Samale-Phillips-Cohrs-Mazzuca reconstruction of the finale to complete the formerly three-movement torso of [...]

WAGNER: Gotterdammerung Lance Ryan (Siegfried), Susan Bullock (Brunnhilde), Gregory Frank (Hagen), Johannes Martin Krantzle (Gunther), Anja Fidelia Ulrich (Gutrune), Jochen Schmeckenbecher (Alberich), Claudia Mahnke (Gutrune); Frankfurt Opera/ Sebastian Weigle Oehms [...]

BRAHMS: Horn Trio with AHO: Solo X; LIGETI : Horn Trio Marie-Luise Neunecker; Antje Weithass, v; Silke Avenhaus, p BIS 1859 [SACD] 59 minutes with KOECHLIN: 4 Small Pieces; LIGETI: [...]

WAGNER: Gotterdammerung Deborah Polaski (Brunnhilde), Christian Franz (Siegfried), John Tomlinson (Hagen), Robert Bork (Gunther), Anna Gabler (Gutrune), Petra Lang (Waltraute), Wolfgang Koch (Alberich); Hamburg Philharmonic/ Simone Young Oehms 928 [4CD] [...]

WAGNER: Die Walkure Albert Dohmen (Wotan), Linda Watson (Brunnhilde), Johan Botha (Siegmund), Edith Haller (Sieglinde), Kwangchul Youn (Hunding), Mihoko Fujimara (Fricka) Bayreuth 2010/ Christian Thielemann Opus Arte 1045 [2DVD] 259 [...]

Mozart's Quintet has been recorded by everyone from Dennis Brain on down. Arnold doesn't break any new ground, but his playing is refined and his musicianship beyond complaint. I think […]

MAHLER: Symphony 3 with Symphony 10 Adagio & Purgatorio Hilde Rossl-Majdan, Vienna Symphony/F Charles Adler Music & Arts 1249 [2CD] 133 mins with DEBUSSY: La Mer Lucretia West, West German [...]

WAGNER: Tristan & Isolde Siegfried Jerusalem (Tristan), Waltraud Meier (Isolde), Falk Struckmann (Kurwenal), Uta Priew (Brangaene), Matthias Holle (Marke); Bayreuth 1995/ Daniel Barenboim DG 073 4439 [2DVD] 235 minutes This […]

Karajan, or Beauty as I See It A film by Robert Dornhelm DG 0734392--92 minutes Robert Dornhelm, the Romanian-born Austrian filmmaker, has created a fine look into Karajan the musician […]

WAGNER: The Ring of the Nibelung Eva Marton (Brunnhilde), James Morris (Wotan), Theo Adam (Alberich), Siegfried Jerusalem (Siegfried), Reiner Goldberg (Siegmund), Cheryl Studer (Sieglinde), John Tomlinson (Hagen), Matti Salminen (Hunding), […]

MAHLER: Symphony 8 Oratorio Society of New York; Manhattan School of Music, Cathedral of St John the Divine choruses; David Briggs, org/ Kent Tritle Pro Organo 7276 [2CD] 87 minutes [...]

MAHLER: Symphony 5; Ruckert & Knaben Wunderhorn Songs Siegfried Lornez, Berlin Symphony/ Othmar Suitner; Gunther Herbig Berlin 922 [2CD] 105 minutes Suitner (1922-2010) was a very good conductor in the [...]

SCHOENBERG: Pierrot Lunaire; PORTERA: Red Music Anna Clementi, Ensemble Bios/ Andrea Vitello Coninuo 114-50 minutes It's nice to be back in the world of Schoenberg again, though 'nice' comes and [...]

MAHLER: Symphony 9 Bavarian Radio/ Mariss Jansons BR 900151 [2CD] 81 minutes North German Radio/ Kurt Sanderling Hanssler 17007-80 minutes I can't find much to like in the Jansons. It's [...]

ELGAR: Cello Concerto; Violin Concerto; Symphony 1; Symphony 2 (exc): Enigma Variations (exc); Cockaigne; The Kingdom Prelude; Wand of Youth Suites (exc); misc pieces Edward Elgar conducting Somm 261 [4CD] [...]

HAYDN: Quartets, opp 1:1; 33:5; 77:1 Goldmund Quartet Naxos 573701--57 minutes This young German ensemble plays beautifully with a light touch, fleet tempos, and no disfiguring HIP mannerisms. The first [...]

WAGNER: Parsifal Andreas Schager (Parsifal), Anja Kampe (Kundry), Rene Pape (Gurnemanz), Tomas Tomasson (Klingsor), Wolfgang Koch (Amfortas), Matthias Holle (Titurel), Staatskapelle Berlin/ Daniel Barenboim Bel Air 428 [Blu-ray] 252 minutes [...]

Towards Verklarte Nacht Gabriella Sporgi, Mantua Chamber Orchestra Sextet/ Alessandro Maria Carnelli Brilliant 95288--65 minutes It was, if you'll excuse me, a brilliant idea to create a program like this [...]

WAGNER: The Ring of the Nibelung Netherlands Philharmonic/ Hartmut Haenchen Das Rheingold Albert Dohmen (Wotan), Werner van Mechelen (Alberich), Chris Merritt (Loge), Frode Olsen (Fasolt), Mario Luperi (Fafner), Graham Clark […]

MAHLER: Symphony 1 Concertgebouw Orchestra/ Mariss Jansons RCO 7001 [SACD] 55 minutes Chicago Symphony/Georg Solti Decca 4758230--56 minutes Jansons did a Mahler 1 for Simax with the Oslo Philharmonic (Nov/Dec […]

MAHLER: Symphony 10 Seattle Symphony/ Thomas Dausgaard SSM 1011--72 minutes I've known the Seattle Symphony from a series of recordings, mostly under Gerard Schwarz, where it sounds like a decent, [...]

MAHLER: Symphony 3; PROKOFIEFF: October Valentina Levko, a; Moscow Philharmonic & Choirs/ Kirill Kondrashin Urania 121.308 [2CD] 122 minutes Kondrashin (1914-81) was considered an important Soviet conductor. He was music [...]

BRUCKNER: Symphony 5 London Philharmonic/ Stanislaw Skrowaczewski LPO 90--79 minutes Skrowaczewski was 93 when he recorded this performance, but still alert. His Bruckner has been highly praised in these pages. [...]