Mahler: The Symphonies (2010)

performed by Agnes Baltsa (alto), Barbara Hendricks (soprano), Christa Ludwig (contralto), Friedrich Pfeiffer (horn), Gerti Zeumer (soprano), Glenn Dicterow (violin), Helmut Wittek (treble), Hermann Prey (baritone), Jaap van Zweden (violin), José van Dam (bass)
composed by Gustav Mahler

Of the two Mahler cycles Leonard Bernstein recorded in his career, the most influential and culturally important was the first, recorded with the New York Philharmonic in the 1960s and early '70s for Columbia, then later reissued by Sony. Even though it has been criticized for several faults, not least of which were Bernstein's willful choices of tempos, phrasing, and dynamics, it has nonetheless been recognized as one of the foundations of the Mahler revival and of true historic value. The second cycle was recorded in the ... Read More

Of the two Mahler cycles Leonard Bernstein recorded in his career, the most influential and culturally important was the first, recorded with the New York Philharmonic in the 1960s and early '70s for Columbia, then later reissued by Sony. Even though it has been criticized for several faults, not least of which were Bernstein's willful choices of tempos, phrasing, and dynamics, it has nonetheless been recognized as one of the foundations of the Mahler revival and of true historic value. The second cycle was recorded in the 1980s for Deutsche Grammophon, and though these recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic were noted for their polish and greater faithfulness to the scores, they were less musically significant overall, for they came after many other conductors had raised performance standards for Mahler recordings, transcended Bernstein's interpretive powers, and expanded listeners' range of choices. The DG recordings were gathered in... Read Less