Tony Duggan ([log in to unmask]) responds to Pablo Massa:

>You can see my own preferences in my Mahler recordings survey with the 4th
>to be found at:
>
>http://www.musicweb.uk.net/Mahler/Mahler4.htm

And mine from http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~dbarker/mahler.html although it's
not as current as Tony's.  (You know the expression "rod for your own
back"?:-)

>My own favourites in the 4th remain Kletzki, Horenstein, Kubelik,
>Barbirolli, Britten.

I'll second those and add the Salzburg VPO Walter (1950) which surfaced on
MCA for a while.

>>8th: Kubelik (BRO) (DG 1971)/ Vaclav Neumann/ Solti (the best I know,
>>perhaps)/ Robert Shaw (Telarc).
>
>I am working on the survey for the 8th at the moment and that ought to
>appear towards the end of the month but I don't mind saying now that the
>"live" recording by Jascha Horenstein on BBC Legends is the best 8th by a
>country mile.  None of the others even come close.  Solti's merciless
>assault has never impressed me all that much.

Again seconded.  I like the first Bernstein a lot, far more than the
second, despite the poorly balanced recording.  I also like the Segerstam,
massively recorded, although this is a more controversial choice, as he
doesn't exactly stick to the letter of the score wrt tempos etc.  Wyn
Morris is a more lyrical view and lacks the power of the best, although
it has some wonderful moments.

Nothing, of course, matches up tp hearing this live - which I did twice
last weekend.  Still recovering...

>>Among the 4th's recordings that I don't like are Maazel's and Haitink's.
>>Maazel is a little "hysterical" and overrreacted, and Haitink is too cold
>>(in this particular work) for my taste.
>
>I agree over Haitink though there are at least five recordings by him
>available of this work.  Don't be too harsh on Maazel.

I don't think I've ever met a recording of the 4th I didn't at leat *like*.

Deryk Barker
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