Mats Norman wrote concerning Klemperer/Schwarzkopf Mahler 4

>OOPS!!!!  Did I really write that? I seem to have praised a recording I
>haven't even heard.  The recording I actually was thinking of is this one,
>which I heard long ago, and confused with the above when I checked for the
>details: The recording I actually had in mind is the 1956 Klemperer with
>BRSO and Elisabeth Lindermeier on ARKADIA.  ...

Thank goodness...I find Schwarzkopf's singing in the finale of Klemperer's
EMI Mahler 4 perhaps the worst thing she put on disc....her voice is
growly, her intonation flounders, and her diction is not anywhere near
her usual standards.  Aside from that it's a decent recording.  For
the most exquisite and tasteful rendition of the finale, I still pull
out Maazel/VPO/Kathleen Battle--one of the few things she's recorded
that I like--the other 3/4 of the symphony are beautifully played also.
I actually think this is one of the hardest Mahler symphonies to pull
off--out of 7 recordings I have, I would only say 3 are all-around hits
(Szell, Britten, Maazel).  3 are lovely but miss in the finale (Klemperer
EMI, Rattle, Welser-Most [Lott's tone is ideal, but her diction is
horrible]), and Boulez's hits all the right marks (Banse is delicious in
the finale) save the slow movement, which sounds extremely self-conscious
and burdened--heavier than it needs to be by far.

Marcus Maroney
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