The Consensus Reference Recordings of Mahler

Gil Zilkha, singer/collector/music enthusiast
In this installment of Essential Classical Music, I cover the consensus reference recordings of the major Mahler works. This video is taken from my larger video covering the consensus reference recordings of the core classical music repertoire.
Featured works:
Symphony No. 1 "Titan"
Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 5
Symphony No. 6
Symphony No. 9
Das Lied von der Erde

[@barrysaines254]

Gil I want to thank you for reviewing older, historical recordings.😊

[@stddisclaimer8020]

Bruno Walter himself referred to his live 1938 VPO recording of Mahler's 9th as "deeply unsatisfactory." And that it is. The performance took place in January of that year, just before the Anschluss and Walter’s expulsion from Austria. In view of that, and a heaping helping of hindsight, this slapdash, sonically and musically insensitive reading is invested-for some-with “unique” tension and excitement; qualities which otherwise no critical listener would describe. This recording is best left forgotten, and certainly never be touted as a "great," "recommended," "consensus," or even a "must-listen-to" version.

[@GilZilkha]

And yet, so many have disagreed with your assessment, including myself. Is it a conspiracy?

[@stddisclaimer8020]

@@GilZilkha Certainly not a "conspiracy," but if so, one begun through Bruno Walter himself. How "many" does it take to turn a falsehood into the truth? Cf. the bandwagon fallacy.

[@DavidJohnson-of3vh]

I have those Klems and greatly enjoy them.

[@jeremyberman7808]

I think I would add the Janet Baker/Barbirolli recording of the Ruckert Lieder They also did a wonderful "Songs of A Wayfarer" which could be considered the reference recording.

[@stephenjcarr1]

I own every one of these recordings, and I agree they are references.

[@nicholasjagger6557]

What happened to 7 and 8???? You jump from Barbirolli's 5th and 6th to Walter's 9th.

[@aureliorodriguezarcas2248]

Very good for me is symphony 5 of Malher for Claudio Abbado whith Berlin and Chicago orchestres .

[@trialman121950]

No 7th? 8th?

[@GilZilkha]

I couldn't review everything in the 2 hours I gave for this entire video, so had to cut a few out. I do have separate videos on the best recordings of the 7th and 8th. I think the consensus reference recordings would be Bernstein/Sony for the 7th and Solti for the 8th.

[@isqueirus]

For the 1st Eliahu Inbal goes hand in hand with Kubelik, I think

[@josephlow1102]

Pity you left out No, 7 and 8

[@andrewashdown3541]

My choice has been Chailly for Nos 2 & 9, Rattle the rest. Fascinating composer but the litmus test is - could I live without him? Oh yes indeed! He and Bruckner, Shostakovich, Berg, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Stockhausen, Messiaen ... I mean, I've enjoyed Mahler - Nos. 2, 3 & 8 especially - there are staggering passages in the 5th & 9th (the latter's Rondo-Burleske nightmarish) but, had they never been encountered, my life would not have been poorer, no, not one iota. Whereas the opposite pertains with Schubert, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, M'ssohn, Brahms. Can't imagine life without them. That's the basic difference.