On Friday, January 6, 2006 at 7:19:38 PM UTC-8, Raymond Hall wrote:
> If I have a weakness amongst all of Mahler's symphonies it is for the 6th..
> Not only is it the most tragic, even heralding the later tragedies that were
> to befall Mahler, but it is the one symphony, like another 6th
> (Tchaikovsky), that ends in utter defeat. Cathartic maybe, but it pulls no
> punches. It also contains the most glorious slow movement ever written, and
> some of Mahler's very best music. To these ears.
> Last night I listened to 2 more versions of this work, (and I am not really
> a duplicator as such, except when it comes to Haydn and Mahler's 6th).
> The two versions I listened to last night, were Karajan's BPO Mahler 6th
> (1977/8), and Barbirolli's EMI studio New Philharmonia account of about ten
> years earlier.
> I listened to HvK's version first, the one with the rainbow on the front
> cover. From a slightly tentative and lightweight beginning, the first
> movement gains in momentum, and weight. The slow movement is simply
> glorious, and crowned by a superb finale. There is a sweep here that is just
> unforgettable, despite DG's rather boomy-ish sound (not disastrous by a long
> chalk), and a flow, that simply disarms any real criticism. The final bars,
> as the trombones set the tone for the complete demise, is jawdropping. Btw,
> HvK has the order of Scherzo - Andante on the CD, favoured by many
> conductors, but not by Mahler himself, or Janson's/Live LSO version either.
> Coming to Barbirolli immediately afterwards, was, in retrospect a mistake I
> feel. He feels more deliberate in the first movement, and slower, but in
> actually fact, Herbie takes a tad longer as far as timing goes. Barbirolli's
> recording is far more analytical, and clear, free from the slight boominess
> of the DG recording, although I am not sure I really wanted to adjust so
> soon after HvK's rendition. And I am sure I heard some groaning from Sir
> John as well. Perhaps another night. As far as middle movement order is
> concerned, Barbirolli's CD version is Andante - Scherzo, and swapped from
> the way it was on LP. In addition, Barbirolli also followed Mahler's wishes,
> in that in live performances he played the Andante first.
> But Karajan's M6 is quite stunning. It really impacts, as any Mahler 6th
> should, and a notch in Herbie the K's belt.
> Anyone agree? Or disagree?
> Ray H
> Taree

(2023 Y. upload):

"Mahler's 6th Symphony as a Hegelian Tragedy - Dialectics in Sonata Form"