# Berliner Philharmoniker and Mahler



## Ned Low (Jul 29, 2020)

Hi guys. Have you listened to this box? What do you think of the performances? How good is Daniel Harding? Please share your thoughts with us.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

It is a very bizarre collection probably driven more by the need to include certain conductors and not to pick the best available performances. Perhaps the strangest part is that there is no completed 10th, only the adagio by Abbado. Why they didn't include a full symphony by him is another peculiarity. On balance if i wanted a BPO/Mahler set, I'd make my own selections and end up feeling that I had the better set.

As to Daniel Harding, I have a high regard for him both as a person and musician but, as with most conductors, he has his strengths and weaknesses.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

It never ceases to amaze me how many times cd marketers miss a great opportunity as the BPO did with this set. There is an excellent M10 -Cooke in their archive, with Harding. But they also have fine versions of DLVDE and the song cycles. They could have, should have, made a really comprehensive Mahler box, only missing a Klagende Lied. Maybe it has to do with contracts for conductors and soloists. 

Re Daniel Harding: my first encounter with him was in fact the Cooke M10 in Los Angeles many years back - it was fantastic.


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## PeterAccettola (Jun 5, 2021)

I have to admit a real love of Bernard Haitink and The royal Concertebouw Orchestra's performances of Mahler. This is going way back to when I first "found" Mahler somewhere in my early twenties. 
I do have a CD of the 5th with Riccardo Chailly, but this is also with the Concertebouw. Guess I can't change my stripes !
Perhaps I should investigate other orchestras ....
Sorry I can't shed any more light on the Harding set.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

mbhaub said:


> They could have, should have, made a really comprehensive Mahler box, only _missing a Klagende Lied_. Maybe it has to do with contracts for conductors and soloists.


There is one from 2011 with Vladimir Jurowski which is in the DCH archive.



mbhaub said:


> Re Daniel Harding: my first encounter with him was in fact the Cooke M10 in Los Angeles many years back - it was fantastic.


He tells an amusing story about his early days with guest conducting ... when asked what repertoire he would like to conduct, he sometimes mentioned some of the Mahler symphonies to which the orchestra manager said "Sorry but our music director does those." so Harding's response was often "How about the 10th, I know he doesn't conduct that!"

I need to find out how his part-time gig as an Air France pilot is working out since the pandemic, the last time I heard being when he was about to start it.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Becca said:


> There is one from 2011 with Vladimir Jurowski which is in the DCH archive.


I stand corrected - how did I miss that? Will watch that today.


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

I'm really unhappy with the selections in this set.

Some star stick waver names appear too many times, like _once_.

Why no performing version of No. 10? They have got several good ones in their archive.

Why no DLVDE, and specifically Abbado's? That would have been an exclusive, wouldn't it? I would buy the whole set just for it alone!

As it stands, I definitely will not buy the set. Fortunately the individual symphonies are available from hdtracks etc.


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

Ned Low said:


> Hi guys. Have you listened to this box? What do you think of the performances? How good is Daniel Harding? Please share your thoughts with us.
> View attachment 156693


I'm glad I caught this thread in time. I agree with all the criticisms of this box, namely why no Symphony 10? As always one can't fault the Berliners. Performances are all open to criticism but there is another player in the field. One which I keep choosing over the Berliner Philharmoniker label, and that is this one:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Pf7roahhL._AC_SL1200_.jpg

Both record live concerts given in their respective concert halls with Principal/guest conductors over several seasons and released on their in-house label (BR Klassiks)
They've also done a complete Bruckner symphony cycle, as have Berliner, and honestly, I kinda prefer the Bavarians.


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