The first recording of Mahler's First Symphony with the Blumine movement

This record is a historic edition if there is one. Billed as the first "complete" recording of Mahler's Symphony No 1, it incorporates the discarded 'Blumine' movement to create a five movement work. Though the Odyssey series of Columbia Masterworks was established as a reissue label, here ii offered a first run recording set down for distribution at a budget price. Frank Brieff leads the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in a spirited, if technically flawed performance.

I'm not going to debate the merits of the Blumine movement and what it possibly adds or subtracts from the symphony's structure and flow. As a performance as a whole, Brieff has the measure of the music but for a third tier ensemble like the New Haven SO, the demands of the music and concentration needed to pull off a totally compelling performance are stretched very precariously, like a rubber band about to snap. Brass are quite shaky in places and string intonation wavers, especially as the notes slide up the scale. The recording itself is no more then adequate as Columbia was not about to shell out big bucks for a 'budget' record by an "unknown" orchestra. Still, one has to admire the sense the musicians had of history and their great willingness to go all out for this recording first.

The conductor Frank Brieff had a long career as a conductor in Southwestern Connecticut before passing away in 2005. This record preserves, in spirit, the admiration that his musicians had for him and on that strength, I'm glad I found it.

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Eduard Flipse conducts Mahler's 6th Symphony from the Holland Festival 1955

Interesting records turn up at unusual times and in unusual places. Like the record above, in somebody's garage, that I happened to spot, while at his house for something else. "Would you be interested in getting rid of that box of records?" "Sure, ah....how about 10 bucks?" And a mint copy of a 6th and 8th symphony of Mahler conducted by the all but unknown Eduard Flipse emerge with a layer of dust on top but otherwise in splendid shape.

Eduard Flipse: Dutch conductor, many years chief conductor of the Rotterdam PO and organizer of the Holland Festival. Like Mengelberg, an advocate for Mahler before the craze all got into high gear in the mid 60's. Gosh, I never realized that Mahler's time did definitely come by way of the low countries!

If you like your Mahler with a heavy dose of angst and neurosis, this is not for you. Flipse's approach is somewhat businesslike and his reading is modeled on the notes in the score, no more, no less. He does not read into the music what he thinks Mahler meant or does he try to interpret Mahler's emotional state in the general line of the music. Rather, Flipse lets the music speak on its own terms and he is well served by the alert and responsible playing by the Netherlands "second" orchestra. Its quite satisfying and serves as a nice counterweight to the emotionally draining versions by Bernstein and Mitropoulos. In a sense, Flipse is like Szell but I think he is overall more in tune with Mahler's unique world. I will point out that Flipse does place the Scherzo as the third movement and for me, that makes the most sense.

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A grab bag of sorts - Mozart, Mahler, Vivaldi and Bach led by Reiner and Schneider

Reiner and Schneider..it rhymes! Busy last couple nights. Oktoberfest season is in full swing and between the beer, brats and brewhaha....the band had a great time last night (my lips are shot!), thousands at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston and oh, how I love taking those pictures with the younger crowd! Anyway...

Here are two short lps that I'm offering as a grab bag of sorts. We have Alexander Schneider leading Mozart and Vivaldi with the the Dumbarton Oaks Chamber Orchestra  and then Carol Brice singing Mahler's Wayfarer Songs with Reiner and the Pittsburgh SO and selected Bach arias with Daniel Saidenberg leading the Columbia Broadcasting Orchestra.

Though Dumbarton Oaks is outside of Washington DC, the music was recorded in 1949 in NYC if memory serves me right. This leads me wondering if Dumbarton Oaks is just a name for a NYC based pickup orchestra. Whatever the case, Schneider proves the experienced and vital leader and the Vivaldi and Mozart pieces come off marvelously. You know, my fear is that we are fast forgetting the immense contribution of Alexander Schneider to the American musical scene. Soloist, conductor, teacher, editor, impresario, the man did everything and did it so well. In my book, perhaps his single greatest achievement was to force the great Casals from retirement. No one else had the stature, or "balls" to do this and we all benefited beyond belief from Schneider's chutzpah.

I know not much of Carol Brice though her voice has at times a Ferrier quality to it. Primarily a musical theatre performer, Brice did record several times with Reiner, noting down a rather well regarded El Amor Brujo. A performer of African American background, Brice was one of those brave and focused individuals who laid the groundwork of integration and made possible the later successes of Leontyne Price, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, to name a few. Her Mahler and Bach are thoughtfully performed and I especially hold her diction in regard. I do love it when I can hear the pronounciation of words! This must have been one of Reiner's first Mahler recordings and he shapes everything quite nicely. The same goes for Saidenberg and his studio orchestra - Brice performs the selected Bach arias flawlessly. Recorded dates are from the late 40's, give or take.

So, here's my "mono FLAC" grab bag for the day....Prost!

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