Mahler: 1. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Alain Altinoglu 

Another Mahler #1 showed up on the YT side panel. NDR Philharmonie at the Elbphilarmonie hall. Blessed are those Frankfurt-er and/or Hamburg-er who could enjoy the live concerts live. Less blessed but still blessed are those (like me) who could enjoy (almost as good as live) performances somewhat later. I am shuttling between Frankfurt and Hamburg. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. It is impossible to tell which one I like more. I will keep them both in my YT library. I live in the middle of nowhere but, luckily, I have YT. I should be thankful.

@@charliekim2939 Yup. I live in a very rural area. Gotta bring the culture to us. I can play my music as loud as I want. We are going through trying times, but in many ways life is better in the 21st Century. I, too, love hearing different performances and interpretations. Yes, we are blessed. God bless you and keep listening.

Die Berliner sind immer noch auf der Suche nach dem "Deutschen Klang" aus früheren Zeiten. Das tut ihnen,glaube ich, gar nicht so gut.

@@lilalola33 I am honored you replied to my comment. My German is not very good, can you please give a rough idea in English, bitte? Danke, mein Musikfreund.

You have got it in one. I don't know whether the Berliners are aware they have a reputation and unknowing, slightly rely on that. Whatever, the performances here, with Altinoglu or Orozco-Estrada, makes no significant difference, the performances are significantly better. One could go into the minutiae of analyzing a performance, but why waste time - sit back and enjoy the music ! I will add that, while I have never been in their concert hall, I imagine the acoustics are good, and they have a spacious stage area, a boon that not all orchestras can boast.

He has Them play with heart, and passion

One of the most fun & terrifying excerpts all in one. Don't be the one not subdividing during this excerpt. 🤣🤣

Yes, Indeed

@Ray Phenicie I agree. The tempi are too fast in many places, sacrificing clarity. This work, perhaps more than any other by Mahler, needs space to breathe. It need not be slow, but all sections of the ensemble should be heard clearly articulated. The musicians of this excellent orchestra are frequently struggling to achieve that here and the speed taken often muddies the sound, especially in the violins, to the detriment of an otherwise fine performance.

Go Leafs Go;)

When does your next symphony drop mate im a big fan of ya

I am fully d'accord. Was mich hier begeistert, ist die Spielfreude aller Beteiligten, und vor allem die fantastische Hornisten crew mit Marc Gruber.

Vielen Dank!! :)

Ihre Tendenz alle Aufführungen zu loben ist nicht so objektiv. Denken Sie darüber nach.

Glitzernder Klang, satter Klang. Ich bin ein Fan von Marc Gruber.

Echt späte Aufführung dieser lebhaft romantischen und einfach gut komponierten Sinfonie mit kontrollierten und künstlerischen Tönen aller ausgezeichneten Instrumente. Der besonders farbenreiche Satz klingt perfekt analysiert. Der lebhafte und wunderschöne Dirigent leitet das zweite Orchester im genialen Tempo und mit intelligent melodischer Dynamik. Wundervoll gut phrasiert!

Sebastian Berner

Xandi van Dijk, Viola in Signum Quartett und Solobratsche in Münchner Kammerorchester

Yes! It‘s an instruction from Mahler.

Haha. Mvt 3 cantina scene

@Ray Phenicie I agree. Absolutly.

Wieder auf dem Alex, aber auch noch mit Dürk unterwegs, je nach Repertoire !

@@marcgruber5865 wie war das stomvi k Modell vor ein paar Jahren eigentlich im Orchester?

To play the alto sound is a good enough reason. Without violist the orchestra will be dry af

No, we don't. The piece is great and enjoyable enough for anyone with two working ears.

@@Balfour. What did you say?

Boring?

@@EminAnimE1 yes, it is. A lot of notes without any direction make the piece boring and incomplete.

@@JP-ku5hw I guess Mahler isn't for everyone.

Well that's a bit lacking in nuance to blame it all on the player. Perhaps he followed the explicit orders from the conductor? Or perhaps the sound engineering was mixed like this on purpose? We do not know from behind our computer or other device, listening to this recording. Besides, in the score at the end of the fourth movement, the cymbals only have one forte for numerous bars (eight note f, later quarter note f), while the rest of the orchestra goes into the double forte and triple forte, indicating that Mahler deliberately wanted a more supporting role for the cymbals instead of the bone-shattering triple forte he writes for cymbals with wooden timpani sticks at the beginning of the fourth movement - for which the player even uses 2 cymbals to get this effect. Nicely done, and true to the many volume nuances throughout the score! You can trust an orchestra of this level only has players in it who know what they are doing, after years and years of practice, mastering their skills. Anyone can play hard on cymbals, but making music on percussion instruments, merging your sound with the rest of the orchestra, is a different matter.

@@JeroenStubbe I know the sound from the live experience with that great orchestra. And the guy at the cymbals is always a miscast, he is better playing xylophone. Look at his facials expression and you know, why. Altinoglu is from my point of view extremely overrated. This Mahler rendition here was executed like playing with autopilot. Listen, how good and individual this fabulous orchestra can play Mahler with conductors like Inbal, Järvi or Zinman.

Ah, the magic and the risk of live performance. You only get one take.