Mahler: Symphony No. 9 - Claudio Abbado & Lucerne Festival Orchestra

I have been waiting for this performance for a while. This score is one of the great documents we have I believe, up there with the 9th of Beethoven, the Matthew Passion and the Haydn Quartets of Mozart. It is a miraculous piece of music and I own every available recording. I have argued with colleagues and friends about the various versions, the relative strengths and weaknesses of Bernstein and Karajan, Barenboim and Boulez, Barbirolli and Gergiev and you name it (Horenstein, Walter etc etc etc.) What a wonderful world it is to have such a work and such great orchestras and conductors regularly playing and recording it. While it was nice to see the young, gifted and fresh faced Mahler Youth Orchestra playing it under Abbado in a DVD released a few years ago, I was disappointed with it. I found the playing good and Abbado's interpretation solid and well organized but something was missing. Compared with the heaven storming Mahler performances happening each summer in Lucerne, and recorded on video, it didn't even compare. After viewing the Lucerne Mahler 6 and Mahler 3 I thought to myself "I hope to God they document an Abbado Mahler 9 again but with Lucerne! It deserves a performance by that incomparable Festival group conducted by Claudio, their knight with shining baton."Well........................here it is. All the reviews would declare it the performance of the ages, the essential, incandescent Mahler 9. The silence at the end for 2 minutes, those extraordinary players, Abbado's knowledge of the score. The beauty, the artistry, the dedication to the text, none of Bernstein's extremes, Rattle's intrusive penchant for detailing everything, Karajan's cold architecture or even Gergiev's wild flights of "where is he going and where did that come from???" Just Claudio Abbado performing a score he knows better than any other conductor alive and conducting literally the greatest symphonic players on the planet who would do anything he asks of them.Is it what all these reviews say it is?? The performance to die for, the be all and end all performance of this piece???Mmm....I would have to say it almost is. I believe it a performance worth 5 stars, the inner movements in particular wonderful as detail is everything with movement two and three. I disagree strongly with one of the other reviewers here who accuses Abbado of seeming not interested and not "into it". That is ridiculous. He has been battling health issues for years and has had to cancel many a performance each year for the past half decade. The man is 77 and had a life and death battle with stomach Cancer. Make no mistake. He is completely immersed in the score and his performance is completely dedicated in every way. There is no doubt that he is giving his all.The reason I say almost is that while I was impressed with the sound, the playing, the conducting and the all around beauty of this disc and its presentation, far superior to the Youth Orchestra disc as expected, a voice in the back of my head led me to go to my collection and pull out an old document. What is the difference between this wonderful performance and an, iconic, legendary, timeless one. Is it execution?? No. This disc proves that it isn't because there is no better played Mahler 9 on the planet than this and there never will be again. This will be the greatest single performance of the Mahler 9 ever from a notes perspective guaranteed. Is it something else, the ineffable that can't be described???I had stopped in recent years listening to the Bernstein/Mahler performances. I bought into the adage that they are distended and out of date; over the top and if Mahler were alive when Bernstein were giving those performances he would have had more than a word or two to say about tempo distortions and abusing his directions. It has been these Lucerne performances and some of the more faithful to the letter Abbado-style Mahler performances that have become my go-to discs choices in recent years. My admiration for Abbado, including his new Mozart and Beethoven recordings, knows no bounds.ALL THAT SAID----today I went back and pulled out an old document. I watched Bernstein's old video of Mahler 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic taped at the Berlin Philharmonie in March of 1971. The video quality is not that good, the sound is middling and yet..........................I must say. That, to me, is the ultimate Mahler's Symphony No. 9!!!! I was just blown away by the intensity of the tempo choices, the rubato, the dynamics, the pacing and the emotion. Absolutely extraordinary on every level.Yes---The Lucerne Festival Orchestra play this piece as if their life depends on it and the Vienna Phil look like they are shopping for toothpaste.Yes---The video and audio quality of the new Abbado is as good as it is possible to get with our 21st century technology.But---just listen to Bernstein's reading of the main "ewig" theme from Das Lied that begins the 1st movement and to the return of it twenty minutes later. Listen to the abandon of the third movement. Bernstein's performance is so deep, his understanding of the harmonic rhythm and the underlying musical logic is unrivaled. We shall not see the like of him again ever. I had completely forgotten. As these moments rushed past I thought, "this really was a hallowed time in performance history. Bernstein conducting Mahler." Overblown? I guess so at times but life changing.The Abbado is wonderful and well nigh perfect. It is so faithful textually. Mahler does NOT ask for a slowing, a rallentando when the "ewig" theme returns. He writes, "Wie von Anfang" "Like the beginning". So........Abbado does not slow down at all at the recapitulation. He is almost dry eyed. Bernstein does slow, not in a smarmy manner, but just so that it is all the more heartbreaking. Would Mahler object? I cannot imagine why he would. At that moment I can't imagine the piece played in a manner more attuned to the emotional reality of the music. I am assuming for Bernstein the "beginning" is a recollection that Mahler's music refers to, a beginning that is remembered but is not the same. After 20 minutes of music that fights itself from within Bernstein ushers this section in like no other. In Abbado's hands the moment is lovely and beautiful. In Bernstein's hands the moment is transcendent.The bottom line is that both versions are magnificent and it could easily be argued that Abbado's is the one to buy if you have to choose one version (it is probably the most letter perfect while also being emotionally moving). For the Mahler 9 lover though I would say "Buy the Abbado but don't expect it to be the final be all and end all."One must say that Abbado surpasses himself in the final movement and really achieves almost a Bernstein level of depth and intensity. It is incredibly moving. That movement assures this is a 5 star DVD. We shall not see the like of the Abbado Lucerne relationship again and it must be appreciated. Still; it must be said that Bernstein's Mahler 9 knows no equal in my mind and the Vienna Video is his finest I think. The Bernstein Live in Berlin/Mahler 9 is a bit messy and the Trombones miss the big climax in the 4th Adagio Movement though that version should be experienced for any Mahler 9 lover. The NY Phil reading is early and good but not close to the Lucerne Abbado in terms of clarity or knowledge of the score. The Concertgebouw Bernstein is a must but a bit distended and extreme. Again: The Vienna video????Wow. Remarkable!!!We are lucky to have both these documents quite frankly and I will return to them both and may amend this review again.Thank you Gustav Mahler (Claudio Abbado and Leonard Bernstein--and the Lucerne and Vienna players!)

Having watched this disc a few times now, I have asked myself why I keep coming back to it.My reasons:1) Nelsons' conducting. His joy in the music is vividly on display. Occasionally he tucks away his baton and lets his hands do the work; sometimes he uses his entire body. His face registers determination when the music is stern and lights up with a smile when it is effusive. His bond with the orchestra is fully evident, and they clearly appreciate him as well. During the final ovations he insists that everyone on stage have their moment to bask in the applause.2) The playing of the Concertgebouw, in ensemble and as soloists. What a sound, both in tutti and when the first-chair players have their moments in the spotlight. In this performance I could see how Scheherazade is a lot like a "concerto for orchestra". Beautiful colors. It must be a lot of fun to play.3) The video direction. The camerawork in this production is phenomenal. We get to see each soloist as they are featured in the score, with effortless shifts of perspective. I can't remember the last time I saw a filmed concert where the orchestra members were showcased as much, or more, than the conductor, who all too often in these productions is the uncontested "star" no matter what piece is featured (*cough* *cough* Dudamel). The camerawork here serves the music first and foremost, highlighting how beautifully it is scored and taking us on a visual journey to accompany the sound. One thing for sure, it made me give far more credit to Rimsky-Korsakov as a composer than I'd allowed before.4) The video quality. State-of-the-art HD. What more do I need to say.5) Sound quality. Also top-notch.6) The interpretations. Last but certainly not least, this disc features outstanding interpretations of both the Concerto and Scheherazade. I suppose that given the pedigree of the Concertgebouw and the artistry of Nelsons I should have expected nothing less, but having been disappointed by "name brands" in the past I have learned to wait and see.I know I haven't had much to say about Bronfman or the Beethoven. Bronfman does a great job here -- I don't want to discount it. He makes the titanic Beethoven Concerto No. 5 seem effortless. It is an appealing and exhilarating appetizer before a sumptuous main course.I would like to lend my copy of this disc to friends, but I've wanted to watch it so many times now that I'm afraid to let it out of my sight. It's a truly uplifting concert experience that seems to be exactly what a "festival" performance should be, and how a filmed musical event should be enjoyed in one's own home.If you're a fan of these pieces, especially the R-K, I can't recommend this disc highly enough.

Asistí a este concierto y me apetecía rememorarlo con el DVD. El uzbeko Bronfman es un monstruo al piano, su "Emperador" es realmente imperial. Y la Schéhérezade en manos de Nelsons y el Concertgebouw es un festín para los oídos. Inolvidable.

Ich sammle Scheherazade Aufführungen. Insbesondere der Anfang des 2. Teils ist für manche Dirigenten und Orchester eine Hürde. Es sind keine Stargeiger, die diese prägnante Melodie spielen. Ich bin sehr angetan von dieser Aufführung. Nelsons ist freudig bei der Arbeit und das Orchester ist sowieso ein Spitzenorchester. Dazu noch alles live gespielt. Famos auch das 5. Klavierkonzert von Beethoven. Nicht die Spur hölzern oder nur so runtergespielt, sondern lebendig interpretiert. Wundervoll, wie dieses Standardkonzert ein schönes Erlebnis wird. Volle 5 Punkte!

Ogni commento é inutile, questa edizione dal vivo della stupenda nona di Mahler resterá per sempre un riferimento assoluto per tutti i direttori d'orchestra a venire. Il lungo silenzio alla fine del quarto tempo con Abbado trasfigurato in contemplazione é per me uno dei momenti piú profondi della mia passione per la musica e per Mahler. Ovviamente anche la super orchestra di Lucerna non ha bisogno di commenti.W MahlerW Abbado

とにかくすごい演奏❗️

Alors ici, nous atteignons des sommets.Cette 9ième de Mahler par le Lucerne Festival Orchestra sous la direction de Claudio Abbado est un monument érigé à la mémoire du compositeur. Rarement je n’ai été à la fois envouté et charmé par cette interprétation. Véritable « concerto pour orchestre » dans lequel les musiciens de tous les pupitres qui jouent en solistes sont d’une qualité exceptionnelle et les échanges entre les cuivres, les bois et les cordes sont d’une prodigieuse justesse et dignes des membres d’un orchestre symphonique qui joueraient ensemble depuis des dizaines d’années.L’extraordinaire complexité de l’écriture du Rondo-Burleske (contrepoint très dense),attaqué sur un tempo « très décidé », est servie par des artistes/musiciens qui savourent leur bonheur de participer à la grandeur de ce chef d’œuvre. Mahler n’a jamais entendu sa symphonie de son vivant (création Bruno Walter 26 juin 1912) mais si il existe encore quelque part, il peut être fier de cette version qui doit être fidèle à son Ode à la Mort, à la joie d’avoir été vivant et à son second chant d’adieu à la Terre. L'interprétation de l'adagio est vraiment sublime et émeut jusqu'aux larmes.Réalisation magistrale. A acquérir sans délai.