Search - Bo Skovhus, Gustav Mahler, Esa-Pekka Salonen :: Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Salonen, Domingo, Skovhus

Salonen, Domingo & LA Phil great; Skovhus ok

Mark F. Lucas | Redondo Beach, CA | 02/19/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Esa-Pekka Salonen & the Los Angeles Philharmonic are in top form. They consistantly team up to make some of the best classical music anywhere. The interpretation, the playing, and the recorded sound on this CD are all awesome. Their performance is at least as good as their wonderful live performance a couple years ago. Salonen has had great luck getting tenors for this piece. The live performance featured Ben Heppner (great), and Placido Domingo gives a truly stellar performance that befits his reputation. Amazing to think this is his first recorded Mahler. His voice is awesome and appropriately heroic throughout, and although high notes don't sound as effortless as they used to in his youth, the resulting sound actually seems to fit this music well.Unfortunately, Salonen has not had nearly as much luck picking the second soloist. The live performances featured mezzo Markella Hatziano who is, as the LA Times' Mark Swed put it then, "a stolid singer" with "an annoying vibrato." Skovhus is neither stolid nor annoying in any way, and his singing is pleasant enough. But he doesn't have the vocal power or a rich enough tone to really match the quality level given by Domingo, Salonen, and the orchestra.Bottom line: Buy this CD for Placido's voice, Salonen's conducting, and the LA Phil's playing. Skovhus isn't bad and his performance shouldn't keep you from enjoying this CD"

Not the best, but still very nice.

Mark F. Lucas | 01/31/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Seems this disc is taking its share of knocks, and understandably so. There really is only one thing wrong with this recording, and that is Bo Skovhus. It isn't that he does a bad job or has a bad voice, it is simply that he never really lets himself go. Once in a while he will really let loose, and for a brief moment he sounds truly magnificent, but he quickly backs off and never lets the phrase develop as fully as Mahler intended. Also, Skovhus and Salonen seem to not always be in agreement about where the music is leading.On the other hand, there are many wonderful things to say about this recording. Most especially the orchestral playing, which is always beautiful, musical, lyrical, and well-balanced. Domingo was a great choice for the tenor as his voice seems to blend perfectly with the orchestra. He clearly knows what he is doing with the music and connects with the ensemble and the conductor with skill and ease. Salonen's tempos are excellent. A bit fast in the last movement for my taste, but it never actually FEELS rushed; Salonen is a master at making his tempo choices feel natural and correct.Do not feel disuaded to buy this recording, it is excellent. Bo Skovhus might have done a better job, but the overall effect and message of the piece are well-conveyed. There are some other notable performances available that surpass this one, including a recent release by the Minnesota Orchestra under Eiji Oue with Jon Villars and Michelle DeYoung. If you seek the baritone version, you need look no farther than Fischer-Dieskau for an excellent rendition. That aside, however, Salonen's new recording here is perfectly satisfying and very nice sounding."

Alternative viewpoint

D. B. Rathbun | Washington, DC United States | 06/25/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have to agree with Mr. Levine, and less with some of the other reviewers. I think the saving grace of this recording is Skovhus. Rather than dominating the balance, he fits right in, as another instrument in an intricately layered piece. His tone is beautiful and consistent, he phrases the lines with subtlety and sensitivity, and his diction is good. Domingo, on the other hand, probably had a heavier hand when negotiating with the balance engineer, and he is put farther in front of the sound, and in my opinion too loud. On top of that, it sounds as if his understanding of the music--how it all hangs together--is superficial. His tone is nice and the musicality is intelligent, but perhaps he didn't spend as much time with it as he would have liked. As for LA and Salonen, it is everything one could ask for, a very interesting, refined, and nuanced reading."