Mitch Friedfeld wrote in response to me:

>>Lucky San Francisco, with a population of 777,777 (give or take a few),
>>is the smallest city in the world with the best Mahler performances.
>
>Two words: Boulder.  www.mahlerfest.org

I have great respect for Mitch and Boulder (Pop: 77,777, home of Rolfing
and the dandy music critic Wes Blomster), and feel apologetic about using
the fallible term "best" in my review.  Still, I just don't see a valid
comparison between SFS and Boulder's Mahlerfest.

I have heard Robert Olson's work in recordings, and impressive as that
may be, MTT/SFS is in another, ahem, league.  That, of course, is "just
my opinion." Perhaps those attending the March 17 MTT/SFS Mahler 7 in
Carnegie Hall, especially Boulder residents, will chime in later.

George Marshall wrote:

>Lucky San Francisco indeed.  But last Sunday I heard Mahler 4 played by
>the Philharmonia under Ashkenazy in the Royal Festival Hall in London
>(population a few million) and it seemed pretty good to me.

7.2 million, *but* I do prefer most of MTT's San Francisco Mahler to
most of his LSO performances, certainly the Seventh I heard this week
vs.  his LSO recording.  Perhaps a personal quirk: I have never heard
Ashkenazy conduct *anything* that really moved me (unlike his long-ago
career as a pianist - he was terrific).

>I must sample the MTT series on disk.  Is the recording of the
>live performance of no.7 going to join the series?

Yes, it's next in line, out by fall, to be added to the existing "hybrid
SACD" series of the Mahler 1, 2, 4, 6, 9.  (Lest I appear to be advertising
these discs, I think they are seriously overpriced, at $27.95, especially
when considering that there is no big-label middleman involved, SFS
producing its own.  Half that price should be more realistic.)

Incidentally, Michael Steinberg's program note on the Mahler 7 is available
at http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/pgmnote.asp?nodeid=3423&callid=117.

Janos Gereben
www.sfcv.org
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