Search - Gustav Mahler, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig :: Mahler: Symphony No. 6 / Rückert Lieder / Kindertotenlieder

A recording of extraordinary luminescence.

Jack Burt | Maine | 11/21/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording matches almost anything Karajan did in his career. Except for both of his later traversals of the Mahler Ninth, this is his finest Mahler. I know of no recording that captures the heartbreak of the Andante moderato with such beauty and resignation as this one does. Rarely will you hear an orchestra play with such richness and warmth as the Berliners do here. There are performances more violent and horrific (Barbarolli), or more wild and neurotic (Bernstein), but this is the most satisfying Sixth I've heard. The strength of Karajan in Bruckner and Mahler is his unerring capacity to take the listener through the journey without getting lost along the way. The combination of the orchestra's unmatched beauty and Karajan's sense of architecture is historic, and such unity of purpose is rarely bettered.This reissue also offers Christa Ludwig in the Kindertotenlieder and Rueckert Lieder. Both performances are wonderful. Listen particularly to the first song of the Rueckert Lieder, "Ich bin der Welt ..." Mahler at its best."

Staggering in every respect

Rupert Stone | Timbucktoo | 10/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Karajan's approach to this work is surely one of the greatest achievements of the gramophone. Not only is his interpretation of magnificent richness and diversity, but the orchestra play with a cohesive feeling and understanding that one only finds in the very greatest performances. Karajan perfeectly grasps the linear structure of this piece, never letting the deterministic tinge of the adagio or passages of love and solemnity drop into banal irony (Bernstein does this, to disastrous ends). The finale is fabulous - there is always a sense of the hellish, fateful abyss barely concealed under the surface crust. He structures the movement to perfection (the finale can become monotonous) and every interlude devoted to love or his own children are so convincing that, when they are shattered in the hammer blows, one is truly effected. Astonishing."

Shattering

Bruce Hodges | New York, NY | 10/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This symphony, arguably Mahler's most grim, has a profoundly emotional effect on most listeners. The relentless march of the first movement, the contemplative and sorrowful slow movement, and the final half-hour or so with the "hammer blows of fate" make a riveting experience. This is also an extremely difficult piece to play, requiring an expert ensemble to make its impact. This amazing recording not only produces that experience but displays von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic at their peak. Just listen to the last ten minutes of the opening movement, for example. I have a number of excellent recordings of this piece, but have never heard the final pages of the first movement played with such complete confidence and orchestral virtuosity. (And for that matter, at such a whirlwind speed.) In fact, if I were demonstrating to a friend "just what an orchestra is capable of," the end of the opening "Allegro" might be just the thing. This fierce ending is then followed by a "Scherzo" that changes the mood somewhat, but only for awhile, until the great "Andante" begins the long descent into darkness until the end. The haunting slow movement must be one of Mahler's finest, and it is played superbly here; I couldn't get it out of my head for days afterward. The "Finale" opens with a surge of orchestral power, gradually growing ever bleaker until the end. There are far too many great moments to mention; suffice to say that this movement - indeed, the entire symphony - is a serious test of a great orchestra's abilities. By the final pages, you are likely to feel emotionally exhausted.Karajan and Berlin made many legendary recordings, but this one must be near the top of the list. One of their finest."