Repertoire: The BEST and WORST Mahler Symphony No. 9

[@burke9497]

This was an interesting and entertaining video. I have a major love for Giulini’s Mahler 9 with Chicago. It has remained my favorite for nearly 40 years. Thanks for your insight.

[@wcw3086]

My favorite symphony for 60+ years now. Always so emotionally exhausted after listening! Haitink/Concertgebouw 1969❤

[@b1i2l336]

The Chailly is daringly devastating, the best and most moving performance I ever heard. I sat for a long time in silence after the final bars. The orchestra is beyond magnificent.

[@thomasronkin1586]

Thank you for this wonderful description and listing of your favorite performances of the 9nth. I think that with these standalone masterpieces, the random very first recording one hears of them will often leave an imprint for one's entire life. I was 16 when I borrowed Solti's LSO 9th from my school library and listened to it in bed on headphones the same night. After listening, I thought that this was the most profound and moving work of creation a single human had ever made. Almost 50 years later, I feel the same way, loyalty to this piece of music has been an anchor and a compass to my life. I was pleasantly surprised to see that old performance make your list.

[@oldestgamer]

Right on, Tom! Same for me, about the same age and had picked up early in classical music listening the Kondrashin version on Seraphim, never expecting anything like this, knock me on my ass that something like this could be created.

[@martinhaub2602]

I would concur with most of your selections, but one that will always be in my top 4: Barbirolli with Berlin.

[@thomasdowling6594]

Agreed. I am not a huge fan of Barbirollis conducting. Mahler 9 is my personal exception, however. The texture is rich and the playing is on point with BPO.

[@russellb5573]

I'm glad someone brought him up. I still have a treasured, pristine 'Classics For Pleasure' vinyl copy from my youth, a wonderful interpretation that tore at me in my late teens

[@DavidUKesb]

Yes I'm surprised David doesn't mention Barbirolli as his 9th is considered by many to be THE definitive performance.

[@robertjanwestendorp3718]

Hi there, I have not heared the ninght of Chailly because he did not such a great job of the other ones which a experienced some live. I will listen to it soon. But I have two important additions to the total. . Haitink Concertgebouw kerstmatinee Box live Gets way more beautiful than the first one from the 60s. Maybe because of that this was his last job being the chief conductor of the CGO. He let the conductor stick fall after the last notes...of emotion or symbolycally... . Abbado live at the Mahler festival in '95. The last movement have never ever become so more emotional and slow. He very slowly lets his arms down after the last playing of the Orchestra and the public is in absolute silence for about 2 or 3 minutes before they start clappingbwith the feeling they must have experienced the absolute enemy of human kind which is death.. Love to hear from you! Greetings, Robert Jan Westendorp

[@ianpunter4486]

Barbirolli 9th among my first Mahler recordings....on LP. In this case on 3 sides of LP...The fourth side blank! LP 1 was stereo...LP 2 (the adagio...mono). Butt happy days.

[@lesonyrra]

There are loads of reasons why I am grateful for these videos, and not least of these is making me aware (or more aware) of conductors like Karel Ancerl and Jean Martinon. Huzzah! Listening to Ancerl's Mahler 9 right now.

[@Toggitryggva]

Am totally addicted to your enthusiasm, wit and wisdom, mr. Hurwitz.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@JackBurttrumpetstuff]

Rewatching this, excellent David. This series has been one of the true bright spots of the pandemic. I have enjoyed this for months. I love your editorial comments about the music and performances. Mostly, I love hearing someone else sometimes say the same things I did about a recording I've listened to for years! That happens all the time!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Many thanks!

[@maximisaev6974]

Sir: I'm very pleased you mentioned the Klemperer and Ancerl recordings, they are truly special. But the two that stick in my guts more than any other was, Haitink with the Concertgebouw on Phillips. I was blessed to attend the Amsterdam Christmas Concert in 1987 I believe it was, and that live performance literally stabbed one in the heart at the very end. I immediately got his Phillips recording and it left a great, yes even overwhelming impression on me. Even so, my first experience with Mahler 9th was the old Columbia Bruno Walter recording. Even today all these years later, whenever I hear a Mahler 9th, I'm always in the back of my mind taken back to that old Walter Recording near the end of his life. If there ever was one that's "imprinted" in one's soul, that one is imprinted in mine. I have to say I'm kind of disappointed you didn't mention it even in passing. Still, I look forward to exploring some of your inspired choices. Thank you!

[@62pianoguy]

Watch again: he discusses the Walter Columbia recording at 6:41. And the Haitink Concertgebouw recording at 15:14. :-)

[@davisbone]

I played it with Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic. he took the last movement VERY slow, explaining to us that it should have this Zen mood where nothing's moving and that other conductors just don't have the patience for that. there's a recording of him with the Berlin Phil. and in the middle of the finale you can hear some noise and then people talking followed by brass players not playing their parts. the story was that someone from the audience sitting behind the trombone section died (!!!!) and fell from his chair so people started calling for help and a doctor arrived, moving the trombone players BUT the music didn't stop!!!! the show must yada yada yada

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I heard that too. Honestly, I don't care why--it's a mess.

[@andreashelling3076]

What dangerous piece to play!

[@davisbone]

@@DavesClassicalGuide it's a piece to die for

[@esfirross6800]

I heard Bernstein conducting Israel Philharmonic 1985 in San Francisco. Stupendous!

[@brianhughes3312]

When I was ten back in 1984, discovering Jonathan Schwartz on WNEW AM changed my life as listening to his Sinatra Saturday program for three or four hours a week opened up my entire world, not just to Sinatra, but everyone he worked with: from the arrangers (Riddle/Costa/May) to all the other giants he worked with like Basie and Ellington. THIS KZbin channel - I am feeling - is going to do that for me in terms of Classical Music. I am 47 and found this channel and I am just over the moon for it. Thank you for inspiring us, for teaching the world your passion. Its a joy! Many thanks....

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you very much, and welcome!

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

I followed your indication for Ancerl...terrific! And the sound and consistency of Tczech Phil is out of this world!

[@simonkawasaki4229]

Just discovered this channel! Thank you for making these marvelous vids!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you like them! Welcome! I hope you enjoy them.

[@manolopresas4799]

All in all, Ancerl it is, even among such an august company, including the Walter/Columbia R2R tape I inherited from my Dad and the emotional value attached to it... it just tore me to pieces and I had to put myself together like some kind of blown glass gone wrong; you're so right to have it on your list.

[@oldestgamer]

Isn't it amazing that a piece of music can have such a connection?

[@theremin24]

Hi David, this video is a you tube recommendation that has led me to your other surveys. What a blessing to have these videos during the pandemic. It's like sitting in on a master class. I discovered Mahler at the turn of the century and shortly my wife printed out Tony Duggan's reviews of Mahler's symphonies. Rest his soul, he was really about Horenstein. I thought I was an idiot because I have always found that conductor unlistenable. So what joy I found in your saying the same thing about Horenstein. Keep up the good work as I begin to listen to your Bruckner videos.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Welcome aboard, and enjoy!

[@sbor2020]

At the last count I have thirty recordings of Mahler 9. I love your top four: I was at the Gilbert concert from which the BIS recording comes and it was his farewell to the Royal Phil, Stockholm in 2008 and yes they played as if their lives depended on it. The 1982 Salzburg Festival radio broadcast was mind-blowing for a recent Mahler convert. And the Ančerl/Česká fil recording is a wonderfully anguished performance, though I listen a lot on the move, so Haitink's Bavarian Radio performance is a safer 'everyday' recording: I don't want to be blubbering!!

[@jakobpetropoulos8850]

Do you have a favourite recording of the 9th? Mine is the Live Karajan one. Take care.

[@andrewhWTL]

I've taken far too long to get round to listening to no 9. So far especially impressed the Klemperer recording. This video is very helpful.

[@richardduffin7993]

Dave thank you for this review on what stands for me ( and no doubt many others) at the very pinnacle of Western classical music. I concur wholeheartedly with your comments concerning the recording by Karel Ancerl. It is a wonder that having been subjected to the full horrors of what war had to offer and having looked death in the eye more times than we can ever imagine he was able to have such a meaningful career after hostilities had finished. Having listened to you extol his virtues on many occasions I have started to collect his recordings. There is something special about each one and this Mahler 9th is no exception. If Mahler's life is summed up in the writing then it is easy to see that Ancerl's life is there in this recording. It feels as though he has poured his life and soul into it warts and all. To me it goes far far further than merely playing the notes. Sincerely Richard Duffin

[@LukeSt93]

I click on your Mahler videos so gosh darned fast!

[@solsiegel1569]

Ancerl! I learned the piece from his recording, a Crossroads LP set where some genius tape editor cut out the first of the four big tympani strokes at the climax. I was very happy indeed when the CD came out and it was fixed.

[@Cunhacomposer]

Thank you David, for recommending the best recordings of Mahler's ninth.

[@simoncaplan4213]

Hi David thanks so much for your very helpful and informative recommendations of great Classical repertoire. Simon from Manchester UK

[@nicholasjschlosser1724]

Great survey, and wonderful to see Pesek's RLPO performance listed. I've also always been a fan of Sanderling's Berlin Symphony recording (coupled with a great Das Lied and brilliant 10th Symphony). A good example of the unsentimental, sober approach to the work.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it! I agree about Sanderling. I was saving that set for a special occasion...

[@fieldHunter61]

Bernstein was my first. Started exploring the list and finding Ancerl and Karajan remarkably different. They're sounding good but shocking in both good and bad ways. Thank you for your recommendations. I look forward continuing my Mahler journey. 9th is still my favorite. edit: a year later and really loving Ozawa and Ancerl. Haven't been able to get into Karajan.

[@johnkim3840]

Thanks again for the wonderful and comprehensive survey. For me, the most devastating Mahler 9th I've ever heard is a live concert by Honeck/PSO. Too bad it wasn't recorded for an official release, but it had EVERYTHING I could wish for; architecture, searing intensity (the Pittsburgh brass!), execution, and cogency.

[@pauljacob9520]

I travelled far to Pittsburgh to hear it and it was indeed glorious-rumour had it that it was in the can before they broke off with Exton-what a loss!

[@jazzsmit]

Thank you Dave! The Karajan version has been my desert island recording for Mahler 9. I bought it when it was first released as CD in late 1980s, and have been enjoying it for years. Got to listen to your recommended Chailly version. Thanks!

[@brentmarquez4157]

I remember a live Mahler 9 performance by the Cleveland Orchestra a few years ago that has been burned into my brain because of the way they played the final pages of the finale, specifically the passage after the quiet ascending scale to bring in the final worn out utterance of the second theme. The way they played you couldn't help but see some frail ghostly skeleton - it was as cold as death in sound and just chilling - still remember it and have been looking for a recording that captures that the way they did that evening. Chailly and the Concertgebouw come close and more so than others I've heard. Something about the combination of the vibrato, volume and thinness of tone, and I think the way the eerie Cello line is brought out helps as well. Good recommendations as always.

[@olivierbeltrami]

My best Mahler 9th was also with the Cleveland Orchestra, with Christoph von Dohnanyi, in late April 1989. Mind-blowing.

[@brentmarquez4157]

@@olivierbeltrami I started going to concerts in the 90s and was able to catch some Dohnanyi performances (Mahler 5 among them). The orchestras dynamics and balance sounded more refined under his leadership to me. The Mahler 9 I heard was under FWM, who I'm not as impressed with tbh. But the orchestra has a way of making magic to get the hairs on the back of your neck to go up more consistently than just about any other I've heard. I hope they're doing alright lately (haven't been in a while).

[@olivierbeltrami]

Used to work in Buffalo in the late 80s and drive down to Cleveland on Saturday afternoons at least 4-5 times per season. Fond memories.

[@pbarach1]

Glad you mentioned Gilbert. Not only is it a beautiful performance, but the multichannel tracks reveal much in the orchestration that is harder to hear in other fine performances.

[@owainthorp3536]

Thanks for video, I'm excited to get to some of these recordings. I've been listening almost exclusively to the Karajan for a couple of years now, can't wait to listen to the Chailly.

[@jbiwer32]

I have been searching for different interpretations of Mahler's 9th. Going to try Ozawa's & Karajan's II. This has been immensely helpful. Thank you!

[@johnmarchington3146]

I decided to play the Gilbert/BIS recording of the work again recently - and I was stunned at how much I enjoyed it. In fact, I was really puzzled as to why I hadn't enjoyed it before. I meant to mentioned that I was also really impressed with the Ancerl version that you played. It sounded superb to me.

[@cappycapuzi1716]

OMG! I got the Ancerl and listened with headphones. What an incredible aural experience! The sonic depth and aural map are incredible. And gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous strings! The performance is on the cool side with faster tempi than the Tennstedt and live HvK BPO recordings I have (except for the third movement). I don't think Ancerl gets the final few bars down to pppp to well. Afterwards, I listened to the final movement of the BPO performance.....much more homogenous sound. some may like that. Can't say for sure which is my favorite...still exploring. But, thanks for that great recomendation!

[@docm27]

Thank you so much for your recommendations. I have my favourites for each symphony, but you have opened my mind.

[@providence51]

Really enjoyed this review. My favorite has always been the Karajan but I am going to check out all the others because I can’t get enough of it , love the 9th symphony. I’m now listening to your recommendation for the 8th, Wit conducting very nice indeed.

[@michaelwillis7741]

I didn’t expect to listen to all of this but here I am. I’m especially excited to hear the Ancerl and the Chailly!

[@yenchinlee1985]

I really have feeling when you play Ancerl, I really will have to get one, thank you David !

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You are very welcome.

[@MagnanimousDominion]

Great video! I know this was a while ago, but it’s great to see all the different interpretations by conductors. Many thanks. Also, speaking personally, I believe that there are a lot of different ways to emotionally interpret the symphony; to me, it’s got that air of ambiguity between the moods expressed, especially in the sense that there is a great deal of joy in parts of both the first and last movements, alongside all the sadness and other, even more ambiguous emotions; but that’s precisely why the symphony is so enduringly influential as a pseudo modernist, 20th century music piece, despite also being one of the most extremely powerful post romantic pieces to exist. It exists somewhere between hyper late romanticism and early modernism, with multiple passages in every movement lacking any clear tonality, even though fundamentally it eventually resolves. This is also why it was obviously also a huge influence on film scores: you have such a massive range of moods and ideas, and there’s emotional coldness one moment, contrasted with extreme passion in another. I think the last movement is similar to Ives’ Unanswered Question, in the sense that the huge chorale theme keeps trying to find a positive resolution, like it wants to find an answer, but never gets there and eventually fades away into the eerie, transcendental ending. Or a man dreaming of glory and endless beauty, that keeps fading into a harsher reality/death/dissolution. Or an apocalypse, with ships attempting to escape but ultimately being destroyed. So interesting.

[@gerbs139]

I wanted to post a link to Ozawa’s Boston farewell performance in April 2002, but the BSO only made it available on a temporary basis. It was a tremendous occasion.

[@etucker82]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aai3h5KfpdlrZ8k

[@marshallartz395]

Gerald Seixas: I share your enthusiasm for the 2002 Farewell Concert video with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony. Not only is it a stupendous performance, beautifully recorded, but the video itself is one of the most sumptuously and elegantly produced concert films ever made. Watching Ozawa pour his entire being into the Mahler 9th is a wonder to behold. I hope the BSO will post this treasure again soon. The link from Evan Hunter is for the audio only. I admit, I’m spoiled. I want to experience this performance with both ears and eyes. 😎🎹

[@EgoSumAbbas820]

I love the Solti LSO recording for several reasons, not the least of which is the 3rd movement and its insanely recorded timpani.

[@JB-dm5cp]

What do you think of Dohnányi with the Cleveland Orchestra? I like it very much. The playing (and the recording), I think, is some of the best I ever heard. (Maybe Apollonian or noble, as you say with the Karajan?) My “first contact” with Mahler 9 was either Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic (which is wonderful) or Boulez with the Chicago Symphony orchestra, so those two are kind of my references, I think. I have many others I love. Somehow, to me, this symphony can handle a lot of different performance styles, and I still like all of them equally.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I find almost all of Dohnányi's Mahler to be extremely unsympathetic--yes, the playing is great, but it's so underwhelming (for me) and unidiomatic.

[@JB-dm5cp]

David Hurwitz Thanks for the reply, and yes, I think that what you say does make sense.

[@montanaricello]

Dohnanyi and Cleveland is a fantastic recording. The layers of the diminuendo at the end of the symphony are incredible.

[@Listenerandlearner870]

An awesome review. Mind blowing amazing patience and knowledge. Great review and very great music.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fr.alesposito8067]

Scherchen, Vienna Symphony, 1950. This version is really a crazy ride! In part, it is a party disc. Other times, it is remarkably modernistic and pungent. And there are a few moments of noble restraint and beauty. The first movement tempo is really much too fast, causing incredible problems in ensemble, especially among the violin sections, who sound very screechy indeed. Even though this recording is very far from a reference version, I find it strangely compelling in its way. A different take on an endlessly fascinating piece. Thank you for your wonderful insights!

[@jdistler2]

Great and well considered survey. If I could sneak in two more: the first of the two Gielen versions (the one that came out on Intercord) and Sanderling/Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Wonderful presentation!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not sure about Gielen, but Sanderling for sure.

[@jdistler2]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Granted, the newer Gielen is better recorded, and the outer movements are better played....yet I still find the earlier Rondo Burleske just a tad nastier and edgier...but this is picky stuff! We're indeed spoiled for choice, as you say.

[@johnmarchington3146]

I think this symphony has claims to be the greatest ever written: a work that is startling in its originality. I would also like to thank you for letting me know that the Solti/LSO - my introduction to the work - has come out on CD as I've never seen reference to a Decca copy of it and I must try and get hold of it as I still think it is a wonderful performance. However, fairly recently I imported the UHQCD version of the 'live' Karajan/BPO from Japan and was amazed at the sound quality of that version. I had the original DGG of it but the improvement in the sound from the Japanese disc was extraordinary - and that electrifying tam-tam in the first movement!! I also have the Gilbert/BIS SACD but I don't know whether it's me or my equipment but I was disappointed when I first heard it and haven't been able to get back into it since.

[@ban9nas177]

These are some great points. I always look forward to what you have to say about Mahler… Subbed

[@BVcello]

Great review, and I generally agree with your picks... I saw Chailly do it live in Amsterdam just before he recorded it. It was certainly special. Karajan live, of course. And I'll certainly give Ancerl a listen, sounds quite interesting, indeed.

[@william-michaelcostello7776]

This is a great review and as always with your reviews I had to chuckle at times. Nooooow with Bernstein Berlin Phil I must share this with you. I was at the rehearsals. I studied with Bernstein at Tanglewood in 1972. Bernstein was furious with the orch. They did not have it in their repertoire. Bernstein called Schwalbe, the concertmaster, into his room and let him know in no uncertain terms that they were not the World’s best Orch. The orch then offered Bernstein an extra rehearsal. Bernstein wanted to record it and the procedures would go to Amnesty International. Karajan said no. Then came Karajan and used Bernstein’s parts for his first recording and was threatened with a law suit from Amberson Prod. for not returning the parts as stipulated in the contract. As I heard from some orch members, Karajan was not on top the score with the first recording. That’s the story. When you want to here some more dirt then just let me know.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Well, thank you very much for sharing that juicy bit of gossip. I had heard something to that effect, but I do question the bit about Karajan using Bernstein's parts--why would Bernstein have left them in the first place? That really doesn't sound right to me. I do know of that happening in other circumstances (where parts were borrowed and not returned). Anyway, it sounds like you had a very enlightening experience! That the Berlin Phil did not know the work has always been (to me at least) obvious from the live recording.

[@william-michaelcostello7776]

Well with the orch parts the Berlin Phil was required to send them back themselves. After Bernstein’s concert Karajan came the next wk.and used the parts.Bernstein used his own parts but he often used a Koussevitsky score when conducting the BSO such as in his recording of the Faust Symphony which I was around for.Bernstein parts are by the archives of the NY Phil, available for study. By the way, I never knew of a conductor who could reduce some of the most complicated scores at the piano like he could. During his Harvard ( Hahvad) yr he showed me some things in the Green Room at Symphony, Ravel ect. I almost fainted. Keep the reviews coming.

[@dennischiapello7243]

I remember reading about a time when Karajan programmed a certain piece for one of Bernstein's concerts, which he later prepared for a performance of his own. When someone accused him of essentially using Bernstein as a rehearsal conductor, he responded, "Can you think of a better one?" I wonder if this was that event.

[@jovetter1]

Hi Dave, I'm Jo Vetter, nephew of the late Horst Dittberner, who received that Grammy for transferring his analog recording of Bernstein/Berliner Philharmoniker for RIAS Berlin to digital and producing the release on CD. I was just recently made aware that the trombones had what we Germans call "Mut zur Luecke" and I tried a little research, since one wild story claimed that a member of the audience sitting where the choir would usually sit had a heart attack and was helped by the trombonists. My uncle passed away in 2018, so I could not ask him about it anymore. The recently retired hornist Stefan De Leval Jezierski who played the concert told me, that Mahler 9 was indeed not familiar at the time and the trombones simply miscounted. The Grammy my uncle received was for the transfer to digital and as a producer of a historic concert, since it was the only time Bernstein conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you for this. It's the most believable explanation I have heard. I always maintained that they just blew the entrance--I mean, even if someone dropped dead next to them they still blew the entrance!

[@theodoremann1461]

Just purchased the Bis recording, and it's everything you said it is; lovely!

[@alfredolabbe]

I knew Ancerl would be in your finalists list!! It's a GREAT version. I would also add Giulini/Chicago and Barbirolli/Berlin (flawed as it may be). Thanks again!

[@TheCastlepoet]

Great minds think alike. Those are my three favorites. cheers, John D.

[@toddschurk8143]

I have most of your suggestions, love this work! As good as Haitink's first recording is, it's his last with the BRSO on BR Klassik from 2011 that is my favorite of all. His approach is tauter, tough, beautiful and more symphonically cohesive than any I've heard. Great sound, the BRSO is magnificent and intense. It's not over the top, but very emotional, and has a valedictorian summation feel that's unique. 80 minutes of greatness!

[@davidcurtis8388]

Another Leonard Bernstein to consider:Recorded live at Tanglewood, BSO, July 29.1979.Good sound. Memories Excellence. And, thanks to your Mahler talks, I gone back to the "deep storage......" and found Hans Zender,6,7 and 9. Enjoyed his 7, but need to listen to others as well. Thanks for your good work.

[@quinto34]

Great! for me this is Mahler's best symphony.. glad you didn't like Bernstein's Berlin live recording, thought it was me lol

[@johnwright7749]

Much appreciated your review, and it wasn’t a minute too long! Mahler 9th deserves it. I have three I listen to: Karajan live, Bernstein Concertgebouw, and for a change of pace Elder and the Halle. What’s your opinion on that one? When I want to see a video, I watch Bernstein and the Vienna Phil-also a wonderful performance.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Elder? Boring.

[@flutey77]

Thank you so much! I was captivated and the half hour talk felt much less because it was so passionate and enlightening! I shall be playing this symphony next month so I wonder tempi I will be treated too!!

[@thomasbirkhahn9616]

Great video, thank you! One question: What do you think of the Boulez recording? I think its not the most passionate Mahler 9 but it has amazing clarity.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It certainly has clarity. Amazing? I don’t think so.

[@cstamitz]

What happened to all of the Abbado Mahler 9ths?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Who cares.

[@ronnyskaar3737]

Thanks! I will listen to the Bergen philharmonic with Sir Mark Elder february 15th doing it. Now I can be prepeared.

[@keithcooper6715]

thank You for this, Dave

[@rieske2000]

Just found this channel and I listening to the Ozawa right now, brilliant indeed, and I will check out the Ancerl. Thanks a million for sharing your insights!

[@raymondginn1610]

Thanks David - so many great Ninths - I like James Levine on RCA - and Sir John B - there are so many Claudio A, his last performance is hard not to love - so many great ninths - RayGinn

[@janantonbrouwer3971]

For me Mahler 9 is one of the most essential classical music pieces. Great to hear about the Chailly. I joined one of the concerts with this symphony when they also made this recording, his last month as chief of the Concertgebouw in 2004. Together with these performances of Mahler 9 in the Concertgebouw Chailly perfomed with also the Concertgebouw Orchestra a series of Verdi's Don Carlo in the Amsterdam opera house (the Muziektheater), which was a superb performance also, introducing Rolando Villazon as a tenor of importance.

[@MegaVicar]

No Iván Fischer!?? He’s my go-to for the 4th, so I’m wondering about the others. Chailly is my #1 for the 9th and 3rd, and I think that Libor Pesek disc is my next 9. Thanks.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I like Fischer, but I haven't lived with it like the others I selected to make sure it has held up as I first expected.

[@dirkbecker6827]

What a great review! And I got so many new ideas! I have to say that this symphony is my favorite for a lonely island ... - I am totally stunned by the Ancerl version - this was new for me and surely will convert to one of the favorites! With Karajan I disagree; it is perfectly fine played but it is missing all the sensuality Mahlers music offers (compared to Karajan Boulez is an emotional monster). - Chailly is really great and will stay among my personal favorites. - One of my key moments in the symphony is the Stretta in the third movement and among all the many conductors (Abbado, Boulez, Karajan, Ancerl, Blomstedt, Klemperer, de Waart, ...) only two get the Stretta right: this is Jonathan Nott and Riccardo Chailly. - And here we come to my disagreement: Jonathan Nott presents for me the perfect Mahler cycle: I like his presence and the correctness of his interpretations, but he also reveals all the sensuality, all the precious moments in Mahlers music with cautiousness and on the other hand plays the eruptions with full energy without exaggeration. But this is my personal opinion - and I still love to follow your videos!

[@joewebb1983]

Oh and my pick for Mahler 9 would be Klemperer although I did hear the Ancerl one and was blown away by it. I must revisit it!

[@DavidAgdern]

Thanks for the wonderful survey. I’m a bit afraid to ask, but what do you think of Boulez’ recording?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's good, but rather cool. I find it uninvolving, relatively speaking.

[@ianson3]

As for the Bernstein/Berlin 9th, how about that massive podium noise near the end? It's more than a Bruno Walter-style podium stomp; it's more like LB fell off the thing entirely. It's the main reason I traded it in long ago. The Gilbert/Stockholm sounds really interesting.

[@dennischiapello7243]

You should splice together all your mentions of the tam-tam for an extra-special edition. It has been an education! BTW, while you were guessing at the timing of Bernstein's closing Adagio with the Concertgebouw, I looked it up: only 15 seconds short of 30 minutes. I'm happy to discover I have this recording.

[@annakimborahpa]

In certain respects, the circumstances surrounding the stereo version of Mahler's 9th by Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra are just as profound as the live Vienna pre-Anschluss version. Recorded on a shoe-string budget at Los Angeles' American Legion Hall with Walter's personally hand-picked musicians that included a smaller string section who were recorded close-up, Columbia Records was determined to get on vinyl a reading of Mahler's 'farewell' symphony by his once young protege who had premiered the work after the composer's death some fifty years earlier. Now in old age and approaching death himself, Walter would impart to the score the benefit of a lifetime of championing his former mentor's music, particularly in the stirring opening and closing movements. How much closer to Gustav Mahler himself can one get in a recording?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Oh, I can think of about a dozen others that are as close or closer.

[@saarinmaki]

The karajan 9th from salzburg live 1982 has received much praise and it is easy to understand why - it is perfectly understood why gramopone magazine called it one of the seven wonders of recorded music- it boils me over with such beauty and depth and is without rivals - it is just incredible!

[@bernardohanlon3498]

David, greetings from the Penal Colonies. It's time - time for more Haydn which I know that you love. How about a survey of the Sun Quartets, Opus 20? All these hammer-blows of fate cannot be good for one! Best wishes, B

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You should ask your warden to give you back your KZbin privileges: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqaxmHyJopugoqM

[@bernardohanlon3498]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Bravo Dave - best wishes, B, and please, at some point or other address the Sun Quartets.

[@bernardohanlon3498]

@@DavesClassicalGuideCan't believe I missed that - thanks Dave. I will watch it tonight. Can I also nominate the Masterpiece of Masterpieces - the Gran Partita? Best wishes B

[@bufordt.justice6741]

as always, a very illuminating and fascinating review Mr. Hurwitz. my three faves in order are karajan live, ancerl, and bernstein nypo and i love bernstein berlin for its train wreck fun lol

[@davidmayhew8083]

Thankyou! Love your passion! Intelligence!

[@MaggiMagg1]

Levine did a great Mahler 9 in Munich (on Oehms) with a +33 minute finale - glorious.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Absurd.

[@williamrobinson6059]

How’s the rest of the performance?

[@jokinboken]

@@DavesClassicalGuide When you mentioned that Levine never recorded a Mahler 2 or 8 it reminded me that I have buried somewhere a tape cassette of a Ravinia Mahler 8 I taped off the old NY classical station WNCN. Probably late 80's. I cant' say I recall much from it except for one of the most egregious trombone missed notes I've ever heard towards the end of the work. It could very well be the same performance covered in this Chicago Tribune review: www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-07-12-8702210241-story.html

[@davidmeyer3565]

@@jokinboken I heard Levine conduct the 8th in the Albert Hall (possibly a prom). All I vividly remember is the breakneck speed he adopted for the first part (as mentioned in the review). It came across as just a scramble. The second part was pretty noisy and operatic. Maybe he knew it was not his (Levine's) best work and not worth the expense of a recording.

[@andregodsey4557]

Claudio Abbado with the Luzerne Festival, the Adagio at the end is profound! Your thoughts and thanks.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Third rate.

[@paolobigi59]

@@DavesClassicalGuide David, I know your opinion on the late Abbado. I fully respect it, obviously but also completely disagree. I had the chance to attend some of his concerts of that period (including Mahler's 9th) and where quite an intense experience (at least for me).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@paolobigi59 You cannot use your experience of a live concert as evidence of the quality of a recording. I am talking about recordings.

[@paolobigi59]

@@DavesClassicalGuide You are probably right David and I have to say that I have seen him in many concerts and operas from the mid 70s and often had the feeling that he was much better than in his recordings

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@paolobigi59 Many people say that, but over the years I have come to feel that you really can't even make the comparison. I have never been to a live concert that I didn't enjoy, even if I knew the performances itself was terrible. The experience of being there live adds a dimension and impact that can't be captured on recordings (even "live" ones). I am not saying that recordings are worse--just a totally different experience, and so the only valid comparison is not live vs. recording, but one recording vs. another recording. That has been my guiding principle.

[@samsun216]

Ancerl is fabulous. Thanks to you. Cheers!

[@G.v.5049]

Great channel, thx Dave. Move on with this…, I will follow you from now on. Best regards from Heidelberg

[@TonyBöhle]

Thanks for pointing out the Ancerl recording! It has become one of my favorites. I noticed that the snare drum part is missing near the end of the rondo burleske. I belive this was a studio recording. So I dont't think this happend accidentally. Does anybody know, if Ancerl made other modifications in the score for which reason? Maybe Dave?

[@BCTMarcus]

I guess I was just lucky that my first three experiences with Mahler 9 were Ancerl, Solti (LSO) and Haitink (live on telly). I've listened to almost all of the mentioned recordings, and I mostly understand your considerations concerning your favourites. I must admit though that I have not been listening to Mahler 9 for a long time. Maybe I should jumpo into it again. It's great music to drown in.

[@franz-josefknelangen1353]

Hello David, thank you for taking us through this bunch of 9th. I have to listen to Bernstein again to see whether it's so awful as you described it. And inspite I don't like Karajan much his 9th is a really "cool, intellectual" valid performance. After listening to your picks of the 10th, I'd like to ask why you missed Michael Gielen's live recording form June 2003, available on CD and DVD. This is the one I'd take with me on the lonely island - if there would be electricity and I had a DAP and a pair of decent headphones with me.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I never miss anything. That doesn't mean I have to talk about it.

[@franz-josefknelangen1353]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Did you know the biographical circumstances of that performance? On June 30th, 2003 a concert with this piece took place in Freiburg, which he (= Gielen) described to a friend as one of the best concerts of his life. Shortly beforehand he had learned that Lotte Klemperer would not be able to come to this concert because she was dying. Klemperer's daughter was a close friend of the Gielens and came regularly from Zurich to concerts in Freiburg, especially to the Mahler performances. So it inevitably happened that this Ninth Mahler became for him farewell music for Lotte Klemperer, which he gave her along with her. The next day she died too. (Google translate).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@franz-josefknelangen1353 That's interesting, and I appreciate your sharing the details. Thank you.

[@klemmelchi9408]

Great review, and thank you Dave. Any opinion about Giulini and CSO?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's good

[@phlmaestro7067]

@@DavesClassicalGuide It always strikes me more as an exhibition in orchestral power and precision than a great Mahler performance. I prefer the live Giulini/Philadelphia Mahler 9th that is available here on KZbin. It's maybe a little less perfect than the CSO recording, but it captures the spirit of the music better in my opinion.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@phlmaestro7067 Fair enough.

[@Chris-fm5pl]

I enjoy the Giulini CSO. It was my first Mahler 9th as well.

[@etucker82]

Y'know, I've never been nearly so warm on most 9th performances. I do love that Walter recording you so hate, and so do too the Bernstein/Berlin and the Barbirolli which I recall you hating as well (the Horensteins though suck...). And frankly I never understood the appeal of either the Karajan or the Ancerl. The Karajan always seemed to me just un-Mahlerian, a shoehorning of Strauss/Wagner into Mahler's contours, whereas the Abbado/Berlin Mahler 9 is just about my favorite. Abbado was never all that great in early Mahler but I do think he got late Viennese Mahler, and that Lucerne 7 is also desert island for me, even if a lot of the other Lucerne Mahlers belong in the crapper.... I do though love that Chailly performance - Chailly is one of the only two conductors whom I think really got away with broad tempi in the opening because of that massive weight and character of Concertgebouw tone (Bernstein obviously being the other). The new Adam Fischer 9th also strikes me as quite elite, and Barshai's 9th strikes me as being much better than that much more famous 5th. And I was surprised to not see Szell's live 9th here, it's so magnificent. Question though: I realize I'm almost completely alone on this hill in the thought that Mahler 9 can't sustain much broadness of tempo in the opening. But there are so many contrapuntal details that rarely ever get heard that a lot of conductors play it slow to try to bring them out and often don't succeed and kill the momentum in the process. Do you think that if Mahler had time to revise it I think he might have given the work some serious revisions?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Mahler revised everything, so you could be quite right, but he never made major structural changes--even in the Sixth with the business about the order of the inner movements, he never made cuts, for example. The changes always concerned orchestration. I certainly don't think he would have sped up the first movement. I not concerned with the tempo at the start so much--it depends on what happens later.

[@TheBartok44]

Szell's is MAGNIFICENT!

[@ThreadBomb]

@EvanTucker I agree about the M9 first movement. It too often falls apart under an indulgent approach. The conductor needs to be tight and disciplined here, and save the phantasmagoria for the later movements.

[@jeanjohn707]

​@@ThreadBomb good points and I agree. Musicality in the 1st and 3rd movement of the 9th is implied in the notes itself, and the orchestra has to perform with extreme textural precision to "get it". So much contrapuntal activity, especially in the inner voices, and few and far between homophonic moments make these two movements extremely difficult for the orchestra to perform. What a good conductor should do in those movements is, 1. clearly define beats 1 and 3 (and not every beat! 2 over 3 polyrhythm going on all over the place!) 2. rehearse individual dynamics to the extreme, 3. prepare the orchestra to be confident and relaxed, so that all of the individual voices and orchestral changes are confident, yet not endagering the balance of the whole. Very, very difficult, indeed. As you said, conductor has to focus on achieving absolute textural clarity and save expressivity for the 2nd and especially the 4th. One conductor who I believe misunderstood that is Bernstein, for example. One who did understood this, is Bruno Walter, especially with Columbia, despite what Mr. Hurwitz says about the performance. We all know Mr. Walter did not have the most amazing orchestra in the world available for that recording, but the orchestra does not seem to be suffering on it. And that means a lot, for both the players and subsequently the listener as well. (despite the few missed notes, as David Hurwitz has mentioned in the video).

[@jerelzoltick6900]

@@TheBartok44 His performance is fast - but played so well -

[@Bilmonis]

What you say about live performance by Bernstein is so true ! For a long time, not knowing a lot about Mahler, I thought the 9th was boring, uninteresting, my only recording being Bernstein's and I trusted the critics who said it is one of the best versions, maybe even the best. Beside the mediocre recording, it's like everything is laborious and fastidious, the orchestra sounds like loosely assembled pieces, and you can literally hear Bernstein become enraged, especially in the last movement, like someone who tries to move his truck stuck in the mud. Then came Karajan (the recording you mentioned) : it's as if I was listening the symphony for the first time, and I couldn't believe it was a live recording, considering the gorgeous and balanced sound. From that day the 9th became my favorite Mahler symphony.

[@richardevans3624]

My first Mahler 9 was the second Solti recording was also the first Mahler I ever bought . It was awful. It was disjointed with a nasty glare. I could not believe how people could be into Mahler. Then after a few years I tried again and got the Karajan live version. It was wonderful and made sense. Barbirolli subsequently joined the family and I've been pretty happy ever since. But I look forward to will giving Ancerl and Chailly a go.

[@colinwrubleski7627]

And has there been any more light shed on the episode wherein the trombones completely fail to enter in the last movement of Lenny B.'s Mahler 9 Berlin Phil recording?

[@corgansow7176]

I read one of the audience member in the performance got heart attack so it may have shook some members of the orchestra when it happened I supposed.

[@kinggeorge7696]

The chapters are fun - 13:50 "Mozart" Apparently there is a recording of Mahler conducted by Mozart, wouldn't that be a treat!

[@scottgilesmusic]

I’m loving Klemperer for the 9th. My top three are: Klemperer, Bernstein (nr. 2) and...hint...somebody Italian.

[@fgiord8fgg]

he left out Claudio Abbado, one of the best.sometimes I don't understand his choices, even in Bruckner.I guess we all have our own tastes,although most of us don't broadcast them.

[@DonCYHaute]

@@fgiord8fgg David always says Abbado was a fussy conductor whose micromanaging style made his Mahler suffer particularly.

[@johnpickford4222]

Dr. Scott Giles: “Hint-somebody Italian”. Could it be CMGiulini or John Barbirolli??

[@barryguerrero7652]

Great picks, as always.

[@StanGay]

Dave it might be helpful if you mention the year of the recordings thereby those of us who follow conductors own music development can asses where in their continuum they may be, As you know, conductors 'ripen' as they age and that is reflected in their music making. Obvious case in point is Bernstein from his early efforts on Columbia/NY to his last statements on DG. I find the DG ones mature Bernstein with his readings somewhat protracted especially M2 to great effect.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

When it matters, I do mention it, and I get where you're coming from, but in general I don't really think it does matter.

[@StanGay]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Gottcha. Came to know MTT when I lived in SannFrancisco 80s/90s and after conducting the 9th we chatted a bit on his take, I mentioned I saw him conduct the 9th 15 years earlier in London and he said "Yes, that was In another geological age" and in those intervening years he gained more insight on the work,

[@davidmurray3186]

I am glad to see that someone else agrees with me about the Abbado/Lucerne video of Mahler9. Most recordings that I've heard are -to me- more engrossing...even Abbado's earlier versions. Anyway, I came across a version of Mahler9 that incredibly became my favorite of the roughly forty that I have. It is the one by the Sofia Philharmonic with Emil Tabakov. The recording quality is just average, and there may be a place of two where someone in the orchestra is hitting a questionable note, but the interpretation is stunning. Have you heard it? What to you think?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Heard it many times--let the newness wear off before making up your mind. It has its moments but the in the long run the inadequacies start to tell.

[@wendychen5779]

Unless I missed it, did anyone mention the "unfinished" (except the Adagio and a short interlude) 10th? Now that we have cleared the 9th, please give us your view on the numerous recordings of Mahler's "10th" Symphony" now available (using the complete performance versions arranged by Deryck Cooke and others). FYI: Before her death, Alma Mahler herself approved of Cooke's performing version.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You did miss it.

[@wendychen5779]

​@@DavesClassicalGuide Thanks for letting me know, but where can I/we find it? More urgent: Please tell me where I/we can find a complete list of your reviews/uploads (maybe I missed that, too). I'm eager to to watch all of them.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@wendychen5779 Just look at the playlists on my channel home page. It's all organized!

[@janouglaeser8049]

What are your thoughts on Tilson Thomas' recording with the SFS?

[@arev2485]

MTT is mediocre imterpreter of Mahler IMHO.

[@janouglaeser8049]

I completely disagree with the general statement (but I agree if talking about specific symphonies). His 2nd is no doubt among the best, and so is his early 7th (with the LSO!). His 4th and 9th are also great. Regarding the 6th, the original 2001 was indeed mediocre, but his later recording in the 19/20 season is to me the finest available of that symphony, along with Inbal/Frankfurt.

[@janouglaeser8049]

Btw, I left the original comment before discovering Hurwitz's reviews on classics today. He gives MTT's second and fourth a 10/10 rating, while the ninth and the first seventh get a 9/9.

[@brianburtt7053]

To add to the "what about X" comments...any thoughts on Kurt Sanderling's history with this piece? His trilogy of the 9th, 10th, and das Lied on Berlin Classics is among my desert island recordings.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Asked and answered!

[@prospervic]

Kudos for taking on a nigh-impossible task. There are too many fine Mahler 9th's to allow for any reasonable consensus, especially when, as you indicated, people seek out differing experiences when listening to this symphony. That said, I would have put Gielen high on the list.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Really? I would have added NYSAE with V. Carr and D. Hurwitz playing percussion. Beats 'em all, didn't it?

[@peterdixon7734]

Just for reference, last week the BBC Radio 3 Building a Library programme highly recommended the version of the Mahler 8 by Chailly and the Concertgebouw. Can I handle the Mahler 8 and Mahler 9 so close together? I would feel like Alan Partridge spending the bank holiday weekend watching all the James Bond films.

[@theodoremann1461]

I appreciate the excellent reviews, although I was hoping to hear a word or two about the Markus Stenz reading with the Gurzenich-Orchester Koln (sorry about the lack of umlauts), which I happen to enjoy. Of course, I realize you can't possibly cover everything.

[@LordHaveMercy]

Some of my favorites are Levine/Philadelphia, Neumann/Gewandhaus, Sanderling/Berliner SO, Sinopoli on DG och Profil and Haitink/KCO and BRSO. Heck, throw in Ancerl and Giulini/Chicago also. The worst? Without a doubt Roger Norrington.

[@joewebb1983]

Wow... 267 comments! A popular one! I just noticed on Spotify that there were two releases on Urania last year of Mahler 9... From live recordings by Szell and another by Kondrashin! I have downloaded them to give them a go... Would love to hear what you make of them? Especially Szell as you love him almost as much as Markevitch 😉

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not in Mahler.

[@joewebb1983]

@@DavesClassicalGuide hah! Have you heard them yet? I'll give them a go out of curiosity!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@joewebb1983 Yes, and sure, why not?

[@AlanP01]

Thank you for your reviews. Your recommendations for the Mahler symphonies open my eyes. These are truly rewarding records to listen to, especially on Mehta’s Fifth. How do you feel about Gielen’s Mahler 9th with SWR?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Good but a touch cool.

[@jeroendejong6680]

There are three other Haitink M9's: RCO 1987 (in the Kerstmatinee box), EC Youth Orchestra, and the BRSO. All excellent.