Search - Thomas Hampson, Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein :: Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Kindertotenlieder; Rückert-Lieder

Benchmark recording

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 01/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is - for this particular listener - still a reference-point for these songs as sung by baritone. I will here leave out for convenience sake the many exquisite mezzo performances, not least of all the magnificent ones by Dame Janet Baker and, more recently of course, the inimitable Anne Sofie von Otter, but I would also like to mention specifically the magnificent Gesellen-cycle as sung by Frederica von Stade.

This particular recording with Leonard Bernstein conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker is characterised by artistry of the highest level, of course. I generally like Bernsteins way with Mahler, and I don't really mind the slow speeds, especially when the musicianship is at the highest level. These are, as we can expect, rather 'heart on sleeve'-performances by Bernstein. The slow speeds make the songs sound a bit 'stilted' sometimes, though. And also, to the ears of this humble listener, Thomas Hampson's voice has a bit of an 'air of artisticality' about it which to me give to his performances a bit of a 'distancing' effect.

And also, more recently there have appeared other performances which have equalled or maybe even superceded these particular ones by a (narrow?) margin. For the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, there is for example the exquisite and excellent performance by Thomas Quasthoff (with the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Pierre Boulez). Also, I would like to mention the warmly sympathetic recording of all of the same songs (minus 'Liebst du um Schönheit') with Andreas Schmidt (on Telarc). Schmidt's voice to me sound even more 'natural' and with less 'artisticality' than Thomas Hampson. Also, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchesta under Jesús López-Cobos is playing very beautiful and warmly sympathetic, quite matching the warmth and intimacy of Andreas Schmidt's voice. To me, this album can stand its ground beside Bernstein/Hampson. This is just my own rather personal and humble opinion, of course.

Anyhow, these Hampson/Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic remain benchmark recordings of the highest level, but there are a lot of sharp contenders out there (women among the very highest), which to my idea sometimes surpass these performances."

Hampson's special way with Mahler....you WILL believe.

DAVID A. FLETCHER | Richmond, Va United States | 02/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The performances contained here were repackaged from previous couplings with Lenny's DG Mahler symphony series. Hampson met Bernstein quite late in the maestro's career, and in recent discussions noted that--in as far as Mahler was concerned--the professional relationship was one of like minds working together, and not the "journey to the mountaintop" that many have imagined. Such is the case of many pairings of artists who share a common love. In the case of Hampson, the spell of Mahler was woven early, and has become deeper and more complex over time. At the ripe age of 52 now (and looking decades younger), Hampson is certainly one of the world's premier baritones, instantly identifiable. More to the point, though, he is in that elect company of lieder performers that convey an intense love and respect of poetic language (his German is impeccable, expressed with idiomatic fluency). I was fortunate enough to attend his recent series with Slatkin and the NSO in Washington, and can happily report that the intervening 20 years have been both kind and productive. What was then "just" terrific is now almost overwhelming in its dramatic poignancy. These late-80s recordings, though, illustrate just how much of Hampson's grip on Mahler was already in place.



The recordings with Bernstein and the VPO were live, and the overall quality was quite good. Balances were realistic, if maybe a trifle thin in the lower registers, without much apparent glare or spotlighting. The VPO itself sounds glorious, and Lenny's way with Mahler is omnipresent. It was in the early 70s that Bernstein dragged the orchestra--almost screaming and kicking--back to this repetoire after decades of relative neglect. Vienna became Bernstein's second home after his departure from the NYPO, and the years of concertizing and recording that followed were generally fruitful. Mahlerians of different stripes debate the relative merits of the early CBS/Sony cycle vs. the DG cycle utilized here (there is also the video series from the 70s also marketed by DG, which is its own special universe and well-worth owning). Did Lenny "bloat" his performances as the years wore on? Did he lose his freshness and energy? Or, did his understanding deepen, giving the composer's vocabulary more breathing space and the orchestra's palette more complexity? The truth was somewhere in between, as it usually is.



Worth remembering, though, was the fact that few conductors displayed the intense emotional bond to a composer that Bernstein did with Mahler. In the pantheon of great Mahlerians, he may be either idolized or disparaged, but certainly not ignored. Likewise, Hampson's commitment to Song, to the art of lieder singing, and to all things Mahler, cannot be questioned. The evidence lives on in the performances captured on this disc, and has been augmented by subsequent recordings made during what has become a remarkable career. We are lucky that Thomas Hampson loves Mahler as he does."