Albie wrote:
>-- Others came out in support of the Sanderling recording.  Not one I'm
>familiar with, and honestly, not being too familiar with the conductor,
>orchestra, or recording company, I'm a little timid to stray too far from
>Penguin's list of notables.  Perhaps a further overwhelming swell of
>support in its favor from more on this list may sway me?:-)

You probably won't see a swell of support because the availability of this
recording has been iffy for quite awhile now.  I consider it my favorite
recording out of 21 performances of the sixth.

In the past, this CD was listed at sites like Tower and Amazon but when
people ordered it they got a Neumann recording of a Mahler symphony -
obviously a database error.  However, these sites now have a seemingly new
listing of this recording with an October 2000 release date at midprice.
I haven't heard of any reports of whether this will get you the real thing
or if it is the same database error.

>-- There was support for Barbirolli's M6.  I simply wasn't satisfied
>with his M5...

I've yet to warm up to Barbirolli's M5 but the M6 must be heard.  There is
no other like it and it can be devastating.  However the drawn out first
movement is definitely slower than what Mahler specifies ("allegro energico
ma non troppo").  I have varied reactions to this performance.  Sometimes
I listen and think that surely it is the greatest M6 ever.  Other times its
effect just doesn't quite register and my reaction is ambivalent.

Still if you collect multiple performances of Mahler's music then every
Barbirolli performance is at least worth hearing.  At his best he's as
good as any (for example, in the 9th, and, many say, the 6th).

Tim Dickinson
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