Mahler: Symphony No 1 (1939) Walter/ NBC

The newest restoration of one of the recordings most requested by our listeners.
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan"
1. Langsam. Schleppend. Wie ein Naturlaut (0:07)
2. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (12:07))
3. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (18:20)
4. Stürmisch bewegt (29:39)
Bruno Walter, conductor
NBC Symphony Orchestra
Recorded Live on April 8, 1939
in Studio 8-H, Radio City, New York
Two years ago we offered the recording of this symphony made by Bruno Walter in 1939. Walter made several recordings of it over the years, but this is from only 28 years after the passing of his good friend and mentor, Mahler himself. One thought is that the further back in time we go, the closer we get to Mahler himself. Whether this holds true or not, the present live performance is a great one from Mahler's most successful protégé.
Our prior post of this is very good, but we have had requests to revisit this one with our newest methods. Of course there is nothing we enjoy more than working with Bruno Walter conducting Mahler, and since all of our original tracks from the prior issue were still on the server we decided to have another look. There are, indeed, good reasons for undertaking a new restoration of this great performance with a new approach.
The results speak for themselves. We can't do anything about the dry acoustics of Studio 8-H, but it is possible to make them quieter and better balanced with improved dynamic range. Sadly, as is sometimes the case, the 24-bit results exceed the limitations of KZbin.
Field Acoustic Restoration (2024): Paul Howard
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[@steveluciani]

Thanks so much for taking another look at this one, Paul. IMO, you deserve the rousing applause at the end of this performance as much as Maestro Walter and the NBC!

[@KenL414]

Ah this is amazing! Donated - appreciate you doing this fantastic work.

[@RS3DArchive]

Thank you!

[@leestamm3187]

Your best yet on this historic recording. Thanks much.

[@davidmann4315]

Thanks so much. This sounds much better than the cd version I have from many years ago, It's interesting to hear Walter's approach to this symphony change over a period of about twenty years from this one, to the NY Phil recording, and finally to the Columbia Symphony stereo recording.

[@leestamm3187]

His approach definitely altered over the years. The Columbia Symphony stereo LP version is easily my favorite Walter Mahler 1. To my long time minor annoyance, he always cut the repeats in the first two movements. It's the conductor's prerogative, of course, but I enjoy both of those melodies and miss them when the are absent.

[@steveluciani]

If you haven't seen it, MusicWeb's Lee Denham gave this performance a 9 out of 10, in spite of the sound of the particular release he had on hand. I can't post a link here, but his Mahler 1st survey is a true labor of love and can be found by Googling "denham mahler survey". "Listeners coming to this earliest recording for the first time only familiar Walter’s last, will be amazed at the fire and volatility of the younger Walter, on this occasion live with Toscanini’s crack NBC outfit. Somewhat predictably, the dreamy haze that opens the whole work is slightly compromised by the snap, crackle ‘n pop of the vintage sound, but once it gets going the ears adjust and it’s more than listenable. The timing of this performance, at just over 47 minutes, marks it out as one of the fastest of all, but doesn’t tell the whole story, since Walter skips the exposition repeats of the first and second movements and there are some pitching problems in the recording too which, inevitably, will affect the overall timing. What may surprise some listeners is just how volatile it all is - the close of the second movement is a virtuoso sprint to the finishing line and the opening of the last movement is the wildest of anyone’s, the orchestra clearly reveling in their corporate virtuosity in music that may not have been familiar, but clearly excites them - you even get some enthusiastic audience clapping at the end of the first movement, such is the involvement of all in the concert hall that night. And yet, when Walter relaxes into the quiet and dreamy movements of the score, he really does relax, which then contrasts massively with the exhilaration felt by all when he puts pedal to metal elsewhere and takes off. It’s all a hugely compelling, almost unique, vision of the score, perhaps a bit too willful by today’s standards, but a thrilling listen nonetheless. Which leads one to speculate that since this is the oldest recording available * (*according to my research), by an associate of the composer, is this the closest we have to an authentic Mahler First?"

[@steveluciani]

Lee Denham gave this performance a 9/10 in his excellent survey of Mahler First recordings. I can't post a link to it here, but you can find it by searching for "denham mahler survey". Among other things, he noted: "Listeners coming to this earliest recording for the first time only familiar Walter’s last, will be amazed at the fire and volatility of the younger Walter, on this occasion live with Toscanini’s crack NBC outfit." "What may surprise some listeners is just how volatile it all is - the close of the second movement is a virtuoso sprint to the finishing line and the opening of the last movement is the wildest of anyone’s, the orchestra clearly revelling in their corporate virtuosity in music that may not have been familiar, but clearly excites them - you even get some enthusiastic audience clapping at the end of the first movement, such is the involvement of all in the concert hall that night."

[@steveluciani]

MusicWeb's Lee Denham gave this performance a 9/10 in his excellent survey of Mahler First recordings. Among other things, he noted: "Listeners coming to this earliest recording for the first time only familiar Walter’s last, will be amazed at the fire and volatility of the younger Walter, on this occasion live with Toscanini’s crack NBC outfit." "What may surprise some listeners is just how volatile it all is - the close of the second movement is a virtuoso sprint to the finishing line and the opening of the last movement is the wildest of anyone’s, the orchestra clearly revelling in their corporate virtuosity in music that may not have been familiar, but clearly excites them - you even get some enthusiastic audience clapping at the end of the first movement, such is the involvement of all in the concert hall that night."

[@steveluciani]

@@leestamm3187 I think the weekly NBC broadcasts were typically an hour long, which might explain why Walter omitted the repeats for this performance.