A wonderful disc
This is a very fine disc and more or less completes Mahler's important works on quality Blu-ray releases. The Swiss are on top form here, done up to the nines like a dog's dinner and all the technical aspects ticking over like a Swiss watch! The camera work, picture and sound and the orchestral playing are demonstration quality. Neeme Järvi is 76 now and has lost a bit of his flamboyancy but none of his attention to detail and draws out the most beautiful sound. A minor oddity is that whilst the European language subtitles are possibly just a bit too small, the Japanese subtitles are much larger and very easy to read. Many regard Das Lied von der Erde as Mahler's greatest work and the final song: Der Abschied is deeply moving. The issue here is often very personal - baritone or mezzo. On DVD there is a quite magical rendering by Semyon Bychkow and Waltraud Meier that for me sets a standard that is perfection. Meier's facial control and vocal genius has to be witnessed to be...
Thomas Hampson sings Das Lied on DVD and Blu-ray!
Not since Leonard Bernstein has a performer been so identified with the music of Gustav Mahler as Thomas Hampson. This concert, available on both DVD and Blu-ray, presents a riveting, passionate and overwhelmingly beautiful performance. Under the direction of Neeme Järvi the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande prove once again why they are a world-class ensemble. Especially known for their French repertoire, in this work their sonorities range from sumptuous and vibrant to delicate and ethereal, perfectly reflecting the Asian undertow of the text. The fine principal flute and oboe players outdo themselves in the last movement titled "Der Abschied" (The Farewell) where their solos magically entwine with the singer's breathing. Time becomes an entirely new experience here.
Tenor Paul Groves offers a dramatic reading of his three movements that captures the cynical, nostalgic and intoxicated characters that inhabit the piece. Words do not suffice to describe Thomas...
Thomas Hampson is the reason for purchasing this DVD!
Thomas Hampson, one of the foremost Mahler lieder singers today, sings magnificently on this DVD. To my knowledge, it is the only complete Das Lied Von Der Erde on DVD with him singing in it as 1 of 2 singers. The beautiful cinematography and precise editing added to my enjoyment of this DVD. The other principal DVDs of the work with Bernstein, Bychokov, Sanderling as conductors have women singers for the role that Hampson sings.(The scoring calls for tenor and alto soloists. However, Mahler also includes the note that "if necessary, the alto part may be sung by a baritone.") Jason Starr produced and directed this DVD as part of his ongoing series on Gustav Mahler (available via Amazon.com), which I can also very highly recommend. From his website: "The first film in the Mahler documentary cycle, 'What the Universe Tells Me: Unraveling the Mysteries of Mahler's Third Symphony' narrated by Oscar nominee and Emmy Award-winner Stockard Channing, won the 2004 Maui Film Festival "Visionary...
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