# Mahler Song Cycles, looking for the best recordings



## clavichorder

I have never had a recording of the Mahler song cycles, but I really want one. What are your favorite recordings?


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## realdealblues

Well there's a few variables there. Depends on what you like, Orchestra or just Piano & Voice? Male or Female singer?

I still think this is one of the best.









This new recording from Boulez is nice, because you get 3 different singers for the 3 different works.









There's this classic with Janet Backer and Barbirolli









I still like this one with Bernstein on Piano and Fischer-Dieskau singing









There's lots of options.


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## Vaneyes

In addition to these pictured, Jennie Tourel w. Bernstein, Ludwig w. HvK. :tiphat:

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## clavichorder

Thanks for the recommendations. I strongly prefer a male voice for these pieces. Orchestral is also a preference but I would be very interesting in hearing piano reductions.


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## Vaneyes

clavichorder said:


> Thanks for the recommendations. I strongly prefer a male voice for these pieces. Orchestral is also a preference but I would be very interesting in hearing piano reductions.


Bon appetit!

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## Wandering

There's an EMI two disc collection from way back, might have to scroll a bit on Amazon. It has a gem of Das Lied recording somewhat forgotten, also the whole of the famous Baker/Barbirolli '3 liedscycle', and some songs from Wunderhorn, Tennstedt conducting. Some in the 'used' are very affordable, got my eye on it myself simply for the Das Lied. But for value, I'd still get the emi Mahler complete edition.


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## moody

If you are going to start on Mahler's song cycles the place to start is with "Das Lied von der Erde" in the classic Kathleen Ferrier /Julius Patzak/Bruno Walter recording.It also includes three Rueckert Lieder.
This famous rendition, now on Naxos ,has been transferred and refurbished by Mark Obert-Thorn. I have noticed that it has appeared on a number of labels,but this is the one to go for.
Bruno Walter was Mahler's greatest champion and gave the work its first performance in 1911.
This recording has never been bettered and we know that Ferrier was in great pain from the cancer that was to kill her in a few months.The last movement "Der Abschied" (The Farewell) is excrutiating in its sadness and it is obvious that Ferrier is living the sentiments of the piece. The composer sanctioned the use of a baritone in the soprano's part but nothing I've heard really justifies this. 
There is another very good Naxos recording and that is of Bernadette Greevy the irish mezzo.
She sings "Kindertotenlieder","Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" and Rueckert Lieder.The conductor is Franz-Paul Decker.

Other famous performances are as follows.
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen.
Kirsten Flagstad/VPO/Boult. Flagstad is a marvel in this recording.
Janet Baker/Barbirolli,This has become a classic version,the artists are as one in their devotion to the music.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Furtwaengler. DFD was only 27 but I think that this is the best of his three recordings.

Das Knaben Wunderhorn.

Christa Ludwig and her husband Walter Berry.
1. with Bernstein and the NYPO.
2. with Bernstein,piano. Both are extraordinary performances.

Kindertotenlieder.
Ferrier/Walter. Beyond criticism.
Baker/Barbirolli. Baker at her most eloquent.

Five Rueckert Songs.

l
Ludwig/BPO/von Karajan. This is in a class of its own.

All of these famous recordings are now at budget price,but are in fact priceless.


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## elgar's ghost

For technical reasons I can't provide links right now, but here are some piano/voice ones which I like and hopefully you would too:

Das Lied von der Erde - Brigitte Fassbaender (m-s), Thomas Moser (t) and Cyprien Katsaris (p) on Teldec

Des Knaben Wunderhorn (15 songs) - Thomas Hampson (bar) and Geoffrey Parsons (p) on Teldec

19 early songs and 4 Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen - Janet Baker (m-s) and Geoffrey Parsons (p) on Helios

7 early songs plus Gesellen, Ruckert and Kindertotenlieder cycles - Stephen Ganz (bar) and Roger Vignoles (p) on Hyperon


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## clavichorder

Thanks for the recommendations. I have sampled Dieskau online and like it a lot. But I'm wondering about contrasting his "lyric baritone" style, with a more robust and dramatic(though still highly musical) voice. I see that moody has recommended "Das Lied von der Erde." I will look into it. But what about "Songs of a Wayfarer." I ask because I once heard these live and was extremely impressed, and also delighted to hear those lovely melodies from the 1st symphony 1st movement in the second song.

Looking at those particular cycles, or if you know of a complete set that does very well, for further refinement, who should I look into for more dramatic baritone or bass type singer? Dieskau is already a priority, I like his Song's of a Wayfarer that I've heard on youtube. I also see Hampson recommended a few times. I'm going to look him up on youtube to see what his voice sounds like. This is nice and provides a piano rendition of a Mahler song(



). I couldn't help but see a comment in a youtube video about a performance of his with an orchestra, that said his low notes could not be heard over the orchestra. What are people's take on this?


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## clavichorder

moody said:


> Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Furtwaengler. DFD was only 27 but I think that this is the best of his three recordings.


Is this it? 



. I assume so, since he was 27 then. This is priority, but other suggestions based on the first paragraph of my last post would be welcome.


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## TresPicos

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen - Frederica von Stade - London Philharmonic Orchestra - Andrew Davis


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## PetrB

Thomas Hampson recently recorded Das Knaben Wunderhorn, with the Wiener Virtuosen, using Mahler's (original and intended) chamber orchestra scoring.

Hampson is a living singer who pretty much 'owns' Mahler, as much as there were many before who were also brilliant, and the chamber orchestration is a marvel of orchestral writing. Well worth a listen. I imagine any rumored 'hard to hear low notes' are not problematic on this recording, with this 'right size' chamber ensemble accompaniment Mahler knew to be 'the right setting.'

There are many fantastic recordings of Das Lied von der Erde. I still favor, from the conductor who knew Mahler and premiered that masterpiece, Bruno Walter, his 'middle' of the three recordings he made. The second recording too, I find everything 'just right.' tempi, just everything. The last recording has the remarkable contralto Kathleen Ferrier [a voice so amazing it is worth the price of a cd to just hear it], but in that one Walter slowed it down too much: it seems as if he is saying 'listen to this bit here, this bit there, and it ruins the overall momentuum. The closing movement, "Der Abschied", imo, completely falls apart because it is Just Too Slow. The first does the opposite, a bit too hurried. (I'm giggling because this sounds exactly like the preferred porridge, bed and all in Goldilocks and the three bears 

This then is considered one of THE archival recordings anyone should own, is a budget re-release on Sony Classical:
Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde... Mildred Miller, Ernst Haefliger, Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter and New York Philharmonic

The piece, according to most ( any detractors must be just crazy or deaf) is a masterpiece, and is amazingly moving.


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## moody

clavichorder said:


> Thanks for the recommendations. I have sampled Dieskau online and like it a lot. But I'm wondering about contrasting his "lyric baritone" style, with a more robust and dramatic(though still highly musical) voice. I see that moody has recommended "Das Lied von der Erde." I will look into it. But what about "Songs of a Wayfarer." I ask because I once heard these live and was extremely impressed, and also delighted to hear those lovely melodies from the 1st symphony 1st movement in the second song.
> 
> Looking at those particular cycles, or if you know of a complete set that does very well, for further refinement, who should I look into for more dramatic baritone or bass type singer? Dieskau is already a priority, I like his Song's of a Wayfarer that I've heard on youtube. I also see Hampson recommended a few times. I'm going to look him up on youtube to see what his voice sounds like. This is nice and provides a piano rendition of a Mahler song(
> 
> 
> 
> ). I couldn't help but see a comment in a youtube video about a performance of his with an orchestra, that said his low notes could not be heard over the orchestra. What are people's take on this?


"Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen" is "Songs of a Wayfarer" and the DFD recording that you have posted is the Furtwaengler version that I mentioned.
Regarding deeper,dramatic baritones ,Walter Berry is certainly deeper and a more dramatic type voice than DFD.
Mahler's works are not suitable for the bass-baritone voice apart from "Wunderhorn",I have an excellent version of this with Janet Baker and Sir Geraint Evans cond.Wyn Morris--but it appears to be unavailable at present.
As for PetrB's comments about Kathleen Ferrier's "Der Abschied" section ,I have never heard such a remark before and certainly don't agree, neither do the critics that I have checked with, The only point that I have seen made is that maybe she becomes too emotional ,but that's understandable under the circumstances.
There is one more version of "Das Lied" that is well worth considering ,Kerstin Thorborg,Charles Kullmann/VPO/Walter,live in Vienna 1936.It is good and sounds fine.


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## elgar's ghost

moody said:


> 'Mahler's works are not suitable for the bass-baritone voice apart from "Wunderhorn",I have an excellent version of this with Janet Baker and Sir Geraint Evans cond.Wyn Morris--but it appears to be unavailable at present.'
> 
> 'As for PetrB's comments about Kathleen Ferrier's "Der Abschied" section ,I have never heard such a remark before and certainly don't agree, neither do the critics that I have checked with, The only point that I have seen made is that maybe she becomes too emotional ,but that's understandable under the circumstances.


'

Great final paragraph from the liner notes of my disc - 'Like Mahler she (Ferrier) answered the challenge of a death sentence by reaching the pinnacle of her art...the radiance, vibrancy and transcendental compassion of her singing here place it beyond the reach of carping criticism'.

The Morris disc of Wunderhorn is available on the Nimbus label on Amazon's US site for about $13 plus p&p but the price can get more reasonable if a prospective buyer keeps an eye on it - I got it for less than a tenner a year or so ago.


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## moody

elgars ghost said:


> '
> 
> Great final paragraph from the liner notes of my disc - 'Like Mahler she (Ferrier) answered the challenge of a death sentence by reaching the pinnacle of her art...the radiance, vibrancy and transcendental compassion of her singing here place it beyond the reach of carping criticism'.
> 
> The Morris disc of Wunderhorn is available on the Nimbus label on Amazon's US site for about $13 plus p&p but the price can get more reasonable if a prospective buyer keeps an eye on it - I got it for less than a tenner a year or so ago.


Why isn't it available here or is it? I deal with Presto Classics and they do not list it I also try to deal with Crotchet but find their website impossible.


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## elgar's ghost

FAO Moody. Sometimes Amazon's actual description of items can throw people off the scent due to grammatical errors or lack of information under their item that their search engine can't handle. I've tried copying and pasting the Amazon item number from the US site to the UK one and it comes through on the UK site as being available from £9.99 for used copies. The item no is B00000E05Q.


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## palJacky

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Knaben...352591071&sr=1-1&keywords=mahler+baker+morris

reissued on Nimbus.
can I give an amazon link in this forum?


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## SerbenthumInDerMusik

What recent recordings would you recommend, of the last 2-3 decades? I have heard the old Ludwig, Ferrier, Baker ones... 

Female voices would be appreciated.


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## Aksel

Anything with Anne Sophie von Otter or Birgitte Fassbaender is generally a good idea. Especially Birgitte Fassbaender.


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## SerbenthumInDerMusik

Fassbaender a bit bland. I will check Otter, should be good as usual.

Any recording of Lied von Erde by an actual (contr)alto?


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## moody

moody said:


> Why isn't it available here or is it? I deal with Presto Classics and they do not list it I also try to deal with Crotchet but find their website impossible.


As already noted above,the best version of all is the Kathleen Ferrier recording and she is a contralto.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE,THIS WAS IN ANSWER TO SERBENTHUM.


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## SerbenthumInDerMusik

Any modern recording by contralto is what I mean. It's possible there aren't any though :angel:


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## kskdn

I have a double-cd of Mahler's 8th with Die Kindertotenlieder and I liked the performance, even if the piece isn't my bag. Bernstein conducting.


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## Granate

Mahler
_*Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*_ Live recording
*Peter Mattei*
Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks (Baden-Baden und Freiburg)
*Michael Gielen
SWR Music (2014/2018 Issue Edition)*

Hello Mahler fans. I think that even after listening to recordings by Thomas Hampson in Vienna and London or DFD, I've found a LEFG that beats all the others because of Peter Mattei's singing. It was one of the last Gielen concerts before his retirement and this SWR release is the first issue of this live performance. The sound quality is really clean but as thin as radio broadcasts can get.

Out of other singers, I've also liked Christa Ludwig and Janet Baker, and discarded both Fischer-Dieskau recordings with Furtwängler and Kubelík. I really dislike his sharp notes in this work. Hamson Vienna for the orchestra and Hampson London for a more lively account, were my favourites.

I was interested because of the nature of the text, and also followed the poem while listening. I'm really drawn in.


















This is the prelude of my current Mahler challenge, the third Summer I do one of these in Talk Classical.


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## philoctetes

I can't listen to Baker anymore, but she has her moments.

The disc with von Otter and Gardiner conducting is excellent, and the Zemlinsky is far from filler.

There are many good Wunderhorns, but the Szell comes behind Bernstein and Abbado for me.

For Das Lied it's Walter, any of them. His last one for Columbia is quite good.


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## wkasimer

Fortunately, I don't have to buy this set in order to get Mattei singing LEFG, because I already have Gielen's symphony set, as well as this single disc:









Andreas Schmidt's recording on Telarc is also pretty wonderful, particularly for Amazon's price of $2.98:


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