Title: Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn Artist: Georg Solti Release Date: 2004 Label: Decca Duration: 72:03 Album Type(s): Special essay (music history, styles, etc.), composition (work) description UPC: 028947621270 Genre: Classical Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan")
   - Langsam. Schleppend
2. Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan")
   - Kräftig bewegt
3. Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan")
   - Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
4. Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan")
   - Stürmisch bewegt
5. Das irdische Leben, song for voice & piano (or orchestra) in B flat minor (Des Knaben Wunderhorn No. 5)
6. Verlor'ne Müh, song for voice & piano (or orchestra) in A major (Des Knaben Wunderhorn No. 2)
7. Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen, song for voice & piano (or orchestra) in D minor (Des Knaben Wunderhorn No. 9)
8. Rheinlegendchen, song for voice & piano (or orchestra) in A major (Des Knaben Wunderhorn No. 7)

Due to a wealth of excellent recordings produced in the decades after the Mahler boom of the 1960s, Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are no longer the most highly rated performers of Mahler's symphonies. Their recordings for Decca were valued in their day for their electric energy, clarity, and precision; many were widely praised as vital contributions to the slender catalog and necessary antidotes to the faulty, idiosyncratic interpretations by Bernstein on Columbia. In retrospect, however, Solti's readings can at times seem ruthless and harsh, and Mahler's gentle, poetic expressions can seem minimized in the more driven renditions. This 2004 reissue of an analog recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major reveals both the good and bad aspects of Solti's Mahler. While it merits attention for its boldness, precision, and energy, it is inferior to the accomplished 1983 all-digital version; thus, it is not the only recording one should hear. It should be compared with several other performances -- by Walter, Leinsdorf, and Rattle, to name a few -- if only to gain a better perspective of its worth among subtler and more rewarding interpretations. The ADD sound is clean, though a little disheartening for its coldness on this budget disc. The four songs selected from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, performed eloquently by mezzo soprano Yvonne Minton, are digital recordings and acceptable as filler.

~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andrew Huth Liner Notes Charles T. Gould Release Supervisor Chicago Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Georg Solti Conductor Joseph Szurly Liner Notes, Executive Producer Miles Lowry Photography Olivier Delhaye Package Design Penny Bennett Art Direction Rafael Hernandez Package Coordinator Thanne Tangel Package Coordinator