Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde - Vickers, Minton; Boulez. Paris, 1972

$2.97



Listen to a Sample:

 

Pros:

  • In romantic repertoire, Pierre Boulez has always left me feeling a bit cold; his Ring Cycle is not one of my favorites. Not so in Mahler, however. He brings the orchestra to life, eliciting precision, bravado, and even sentimentality from the cycle.
  • Jon Vickers tears the roof off the hall in the opening number but, to my ear, lacks the lyricism to properly pull of "Von der Jugend."
  • Yvonne Minton's sterling mezzo finds the right feeling for each of her numbers, capping off the evening with an understated, yet heartbreaking, "Abschied".

Cons:

  • The sound is generally good, but the first minute gets off to a rough start, and the last movement is marred by a digital "whistle." (I made sure to include an example of that at the end of the sample.)

In Stereo

OD 12080-1