| 1. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 1, 'Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde' (The Drinking Song of Ea | | 2. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 2, 'Der Einsame im Herbst' (The Solitary Autumn): 'Herbstnebel | | 3. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 3, 'Von der Jugend' (Of Youth): 'Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche' | | 4. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 4, 'Von der Schonheit' (Of Beauty): 'Junge Madchen pflucken Blu | | 5. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 5, 'Der Trunkene im Fruhling' (The Drunkard in Spring): 'Wenn n | | 6. | Das Lied von der Erde, for alto (or baritone), tenor & orchestra: No. 6, 'Der Abschied' (The Farewell): 'Die Sonne scheidet hinter de | |
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55 of 55 found the following review helpful:
Deeply moving and inspiredDec 23, 1999
By Satoshi Akima
It is rare for everything to come together as it has on this performance. The interpretation from Klemperer shows him at his finest. The great Mahler pupil shows penetrating insight into the deepest depths of this score which seems to emerge in his hands as possibly Mahler's greatest work. The two inspired vocalists never once fail Klemperer in the realisation of his vision of the work. Wunderlich gives a performance of a lifetime but Ludwig rises to the occassion in the last 'movement'(this is after all a symphony is it not). This is a performance which is almost impossible to stop listening to so convincing and powerful is the musical argument being presented - even for the most jaded Mahlerians it comes across as a revelation. Not only that but as an original recording it is a tour de force for Walter Legge and his recording team, who put most contemporary recordings to utter shame - they just don't make them like that anymore. The huge soundstage, the wonderful front to back depth make many high-tech digital production seem artificial and shallow. And at last these new 24-bit EMI transfers have been able to do full justice to the sound quality dormant in the orginal tapes.
53 of 55 found the following review helpful:
One of THE best Mahler recordings ever!Dec 16, 2003
By John Dziadecki
Everyone has their own opinion of which Mahler "Erde" is best. The Walter/Ferrier/Patzak/VPO is brilliant and I wouldn't want to be without it. It was my first exposure to "Erde" and recorded beautifuly in magnificent mono. Bernstein/Fischer-Dieskau/King/VPO is fabulous. If you prefer baritone to alto, this is definitely the best. Bernstein knows Mahler and this recording proves it. Both have been remastered in recent years and sound better than ever.I've heard many recordings of this moving work over the years but I find I keep coming back to Klemperer. The Klemperer recording is rich, broad and expansive. The remastered sound is fresh and clear. The VPO is marvelous. Klemperer balances the orchestral forces and the vocalists admirably. Wunderlich and Ludwig pour their soul into the libretto. The music envelopes the listener. This is a transcendant experience. A great recording of the century indeed. Mahler at his finest. Most highly recommended.
37 of 37 found the following review helpful:
Mahler ohne SchmaltzMar 14, 2002
By Dennis R. Winter
"winterzeit"
I'm 55 now so I calculate I've listened to this performance for 3/4 of my life. When I was 16 or 17, I first bought the Bruno Walter performance with Mildred Miller and Earnst Haefliger and understood that to be the way Mahler should be. It is, in its way. But Mahler's other protege was Klemperer who, in vulger terms, said Walter put too much schmaltz in his Mahler. I was young and romantic and liked the Walter, put the Klemeprer away and lived through the 70s with Donna Summer as the ultimate soprano in my life. In the 80s I pulled out my old lps, almost unlistenable, and got on the CD bandwagon, buying the Walter and Klemperer versions when they were reissued. I was tested one late night listening to this versions on CD: the interments and voices come from an anguished void; the orchestra alternately crushes the singers and lifts them with chanmber-music balance. Klemperer, always a master of tempi, captures the orientalism Mahler probably did not know he was achieving, and Christa Ludwig is ravishing. There is the expected sadness here and the sense of loss, as in Walter's and others' performances, but there is also the strenghth that Klemperer himself indentified as the grand majesty of death.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
the bestJan 28, 2002
By Baker Sefton Peeples
I've heard several recordings of this and I must say none touch this one. I had this on records for such a long time and I finally upgraded to CD. The sound on this CD is clearer than the LP, though preserving the old sound of tthe LP.
On to the performance. First of all, I think the greatest benefit of this recording is two singers extremely adept at lieder singing, christa ludwig and fritz wunderlich, both of whom are exemplary, he lyrical and she simply stunning, top to bottom, start to finish...Klemperer was always a great conductor, but esp. so in mahler, his greatest influence on his musical career. It was Mahler who wrote "Gustav Mahler recommends Herr Klemperer as an outstanding musician, who despite his youth is already very experienced and is predestined for a conductor's career." Klemperer evidently kept a copy of this quote in his wallet until the day he died. Mahler surely would have been quite impressed.
As is usual with Klemperer, the performance veers away from the expressionistic qualities that sometimes gets mixed in with this music, but he is extremely focused and the music moves along slowly but surely.
I would consider myself a Klemperer fan, and seeing that I own many of his recordings, this is by far one of his best.
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
A stunnerDec 29, 2002
By dan
This Great Recording is a stunner. The incomparable Fritz Wunderlich with the incomparable Christa Ludwig. The great Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the world beating ensemble in the 1950s and 1960s bar none. From the moment the first orchestral notes are struck, I felt like I was struck by lightning, so great was the impact. But I wasn't prepared for what was to come. Fritz Wunderlich gives a stunning performance. I was literally stunned into submission by his legendary voice. I've never been a big fan of Mahler but this recording promises to be different. As if Fritz Wunderlich wasn't enough, Christa Ludwig was the next earthquake that shattered me to smitherins..... yes, Christa Ludwig and her legendary voice.... just so incredibly beautiful..... I was literally spellbound and dumbfounded the moment she entered.... how could a human sing so beautifully... it is the voice of an angel.... the voice of Christa Ludwig.... Christa Ludwig never ceases to amaze me. In all the roles she undertook, she is always either the best or top 2 or 3 on record. Her diction. The beauty of her voice. Her incredible range, homogeneous throughout from the lowest notes to the highest notes, including, yes a high C which she sang in a performance of the Lieberstod. I am convinced that she is the greatest Mezzo in the second half of the 20th century. You have to hear this recording to believe it. It is just so incredibly beautiful. The legendary voices of Fritz Wunderlich and Christa Ludwig. The legendary Otto Klemperer with the legendary Philhamonia. Nobody could have done it better.
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