Tape Project Forum
Tape Project Albums => Tape Project Albums - general => Topic started by: TomR on January 24, 2011, 12:00:58 AM
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I was listening to Mahler's First symphony on the radio, and was struck again by the thought of what an excellent Tape Project release a Mahler symphony would be. The prime candidates, due to length of the works (I imagine shorter is better) ought to be the First and the Fourth.
Of course, if you are a Mahlerite this is a very big year - the centenary of his death - there will be a flood of performances (the SF Symphony is doing 3 works in June, I believe) and recordings, and I am hoping we can do our little part as well. Of course, Series 2 still has to be completed, and there isn't much hope that we could get a Mahler release in time for June....but we can dream, right?
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The Mahler centenary is in full force in London also. Last fall we heard Mahler 3 with Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Mahler 5 with Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra. Both quite spectacular - but too long for the TP. I'd agree that Symphonies 1 and 4 would be the right size for the TP. There is an issue with Sym 1 in that the slow second movement is often split in recordings (total length of the symphony is around 1 hour). Depending on the recording Movements 1 and 2 might fit on one tape that would need a splice, but could fit on one reel.
Another choice could be some combination of his songs with orchestra, like "Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen" (Songs of a Wayfarer) whose second song is the basis of the catchy theme of the first movement of the first Symphony. Also "Das Knaben Wunderhorn" is lovely. "Das Lied von der Erde" really his 9th Symphony would also fit onto the TP tapes.
Larry
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We were in London earlier in the month and heard Maazel conducting the Philharmonia Orch in Royal Festival Hall. The program was the first in his complete series of the Mahler symphonies - Symphony 1 and Songs of a Wayfarer, the second song being the main theme of the first movement of the symphony. Both were played more slowly than normal. The symphony was spectacular - which great dynamics and Maazel really pulled off the slow tempi. The Songs, played first, did not fare as well with the slow tempi. Larry
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We were in London earlier in the month and heard Maazel conducting the Philharmonia Orch in Royal Festival Hall. The program was the first in his complete series of the Mahler symphonies - Symphony 1 and Songs of a Wayfarer, the second song being the main theme of the first movement of the symphony. Both were played more slowly than normal. The symphony was spectacular - which great dynamics and Maazel really pulled off the slow tempi. The Songs, played first, did not fare as well with the slow tempi. Larry
Larry:
Did you really like the sound of the hall? Last time I was there, and it was several years ago, RFH was an unmitigated sonic disaster. Drier than the Gobi Desert. And when I heard Rodrigo's Concierto Andaluz with the Romeros then, they even miked the guitars. From where I was sitting, the guitars were 90 feet wide. Needless to say, a major disappointment :(
Myles