Haitink Mahler 5 on DECCA Pure Analog
Almost bought this but figured I ask if anyone has heard this reissue.
From product notes…
For this release Rainer Maillard at Emil Berliner Studios has used the original, four-track quadraphonic master tape to make a new stereo mix sent directly to the cutter head. This preserves a pure analogue path throughout. The Philips engineers of the 1970s would similarly have mixed the four front and rear channels before cutting but this downmix would have resulted in a two-track stereo copy for mastering, whereas here the lacquer is cut directly from a ’live’ mix into stereo from the four Quad channels.
Any feedback on the quality of recording and vinyl?
That’s what makes it so incredible @mahler123 the choices we have for different interpretations is one of the most amazing things with classical music. There’s always a version of these popular works that will suit your soul I’d be interested to get your take on Gary Bertini. His Mahler box set is excellent, at least to me |
Yes, Barbirolli for me. Recorded at Watford Town Hall in 1969 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra it was originally released in stereo vinyl by His Master's Voice. EMI later released in on CD as one of the Great Recordings of the Century, remastered in 1998 by EMI. Now Warner has its hands on it and has issued it on CD as remastered in 2020 by Parlophone Records. I started my collection of Mahler 5 with Klaus Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but for me Barbirolli blows it away. I used to be guided by reviews in the Gramophone magazine. When important new recordings came out, they would often be compared with several previous recordings. Over time, the best of these would percolate to the top of my consciousness. Of course, the individual reviewers had their own views and no single 'best' interpreter emerged for all Mahler symphonies. Shostakovich had major divergencies too.
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Tbf, the Barbirolli Mahler 5 is a polarizing recording and if one searches out critical commentary it has been sine its release. Some think it’s revelatory. Others like myself think it’s world weary in the extreme, an old man’s interpretation. It’s always interesting how performances impact listeners |
@richardbrand when it comes to Shostakovich, my preference is towards Soviet conductors of the same era. There’s a lot he was saying with his music and to interpret it and deliver as much of the message as possible is a very big undertaking for a conductor. There are exceptions to every rule though and there are excellent versions out there by conductors from around the world. My favorite Shostakovich 5th is Rostropovich on LSO. |
