Buy the Best, Skip the Rest
Jaime J. Weinman | Canada | 07/17/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This set is not really worth buying, but if only someone would release a set combining Solti's *first* recording of every Mahler symphony, that would be a very competitive set. I've never held with the idea that Solti was too "brutal" for Mahler -- first of all, he's not much more brutal than Bernstein or anyone else, and second, Mahler *is* brutal. But you'll get a better picture of Solti as a Mahlerian if you buy his best Mahler performances individually and skip the dull digital remakes that infest this Chicago set. The best Mahler performances Solti recorded in Chicago are: the eighth, which is available separately on an excellent single-disc rematering; the sixth, a great performance, available (from England and elsewhere) on a single disc; and the fifth, which is available on a twofer (from England and Canada and France) coupled with Solti's first Mahler recording, a fine and beautifully recorded 4th with the Concertgebouw that beats the pants off the terrible Chicago remake with Te Kanawa. Also available from England and Canada is a twofer with Solti's fine London Symphony Orchestra performances of the first and second symphonies; not only are these better than the Chicago remakes, they have better sound too (Decca engineers never could get a really good sound out of Chicago halls, which is one of the reasons why the 8th was recorded in Vienna). Finally, Solti's excellent 9th with the London Symphony has never even been on CD; one hopes that will be rectified someday.In short, don't go for the big box. If you want Solti in Mahler, get his best recordings individually, and skip the pointless remakes."
Great Recordings
Classical Violist | Portland, OR USA | 12/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Unlike many of the people who have weighed in on this set, I absolutely love these recordings. Unlike most who review on this site, I have actually performed many of these works (my being a classical violist). I know these symphonies like the back of my hand. Solti's interpretation is masterful in every aspect, he in fact, is the only conductor who has ever made the Rondo-Finale of the symphony no. 5 make sense as a cohesive movement. The CSO plays absolutely brilliantly, as always, so there is nothing to criticize there. I just think that most who listen to these recordings have been caught up in the over-dramaticized versions recorded by Bernstein, not to say that his recordings don't also have merit. To any one looking for a complete Mahler set, I recommend this one above any other."
It's all about Mahler
Jeffrey A. Knorr | New York City | 12/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"So many Mahler performances, both in concert and on record, are mannered to the extent that one senses a conductor trying to convey the impression that it is his personal suffering, not the composer's vision, which is producing such beautiful music.
Not Solti's. He and his incredibly virtuosic orchestra let Mahler do the talking. The 5th, 6th and 7th especially lend themselves to Solti's approach, while the 8th benefits from his
long, successful career in the pit. Though Karajan, Walter, Guilini and others have recorded great 9ths, I defy anyone to find a better played one than this. Solti gives us the orchestral tours de force that are the Mahler Symphonies and which, I believe, explain why "my(his)time will(has) come.""
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
