The Greatest Recordings Ever! Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. Janet Baker (mezzo soprano), James King (tenor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink (cond.) Decca (Philips)

[stuardyoung]

Dear David, Thank you, thank you, for this review (and for the “Best Ever” series)! I have been collecting Mahler recordings, and concerts, for over 60 years, and I was completely unaware of this one. I have the Klemperer with Ludwig and Wunderlich (essential), as well as Bernstein, two Walters, etc. I have been an avid fan of Janet Baker, in anything, but first, for her ESSENTIAL Ruckert Lieder with Barbirolli. But I never thought to look for her in “Das Lied….”!

On a related note, In 1970, the great Maureen Forrester sang Das lied with my school orchestra in Philadelphia! There was a connection. Her husband taught Violin there, and she was close by at the time, singing Das Lied at Carnegie Hall, with Jon Vickers. A bunch of us students went to NYC to hear them. Sadly, Vickers did not sing with our orchestra.

[JohanHerrenberg]

That was also my first. Glorious sonics, great orchestral playing, terrific singing. Born and bred in Amsterdam, I went to the Concertgebouw regularly, and I can hear the Great Hall's velvety acoustics. Yes, this is beautiful.

[neilford]

I don't know if I've ever listened to this recording. I can't get away from Klemperer, Ludwig and Wunderlich. I'll be sure to give this a go. I like Dame Janet with Kubelik, live. Plus many others.

[michelangelomulieri]

This one along with klemperer/wunderlich /ludwig are sensational!

[jegog.]

Your bicycle story reminded me of how I acquired my first DLVDE recording (Bruno Walter). My brother and I decided we liked Mahler after listening to his first symphony, so we wanted to hear more. We didn't know much about Mahler (this was the late 60s) but we knew Tom Leher's song "Alma" which has the lyric "I'm writing Das Lied Von Der Erde and she only wants to make love!" So we figured that was the one to get. Since we liked how Walter did the first we picked his version and were smitten. I have Haitink and Klemperer's (and many more), but you know your first love is always special...

[Tenortalker]

Yes it is a very special recording. I always feel that James King was somewhat underrated. It was such a handsome voice and his presence over several decades on the operatic stage allowed many important opera houses and festivals to perform large scale operas. Baker, Haitink and the concertgebouw. What is not to like?

[mikewinter]

Thanks for mentioning Janet Baker, whose “Urlicht” with LB is heart-stopping; also her Ravel “Scheherazade” and Berlioz “Les Nuits d’ete” with Barbirolli.

[thierrydanz]

If I could I would give this one a two thumbs up.

[jwkluen]

Glad that Haitink made the cut to your ‘greatest recordings series, especially with this particular recording. Magnificent.

[FredMunson-bf]

I purchased the Philips LP of Haitink's Das Lied von der Erde not long after it was first issued in the late 1970's, when I was a college student in a rock-loving dormitory. It was done so well in all aspects that I never had a great itch to own many more recordings of the piece. I later purchased the Philips Silver Line CD reissue, but I now possess the Hi-Res digital remaster of the recording through the Decca Boxed Set with Blu-Ray Audio of Haitink's Concertgebouw Philips Mahler recordings. I believe it is a safe recommendation as a top stereo version. I also have on CD the Solti/CSO version, with René Kollo and Yvonne Minton on an Australian Eloquence reissue dedicated to Yvonne Minton's Mahler song recordings with Solti, and the Reference Recordings version with Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra; these are well-done and I can also recommend. I also inherited Bernstein's Israel PO recording when I acquired the most recent re-issue on CD of his NYPO Mahler cycle. I was first exposed to the piece in the mid 1970's through a live subscription performance of the National Symphony of Washington, D.C. directed by Antal Dorati, which was blessed with a great mezzo well-versed in the piece, Maureen Forrester, compellingly singing.

[jojaspismusic]

Yess!
Totally agree.
Especially Der Abschied is unbelievably beautiful in all its desolateness

[bbailey]

This is one of those works I compulsively collect. Including this one, of course!

[markokassenaar]

Haitink once said in an interview that Das Lied scared him when he heard it for the first time.

[strangeitude]

Wow, this is the one I have in cd, paired with the 9th. Been very recently rediscovering this beautiful work with Bernstein and Vienna Phil and Tennsdedt. Then I picked up my cd and this recording has such a transparency and the soloists are beyond perfect, the greatest of this work indeed.

[leestamm]

Hard to pick between this and the Klemperer with Ludwig, so I'll take both.

[LyleFrancisDelp]

When I saw the title of the video, I thought the Klemperer would be a natch. But really, one cannot argue with the beautiful voice of Janet Baker, and Haitink definitely knows his Mahler.

[paullewis]

Don’t know this recording, however with Janet Baker, James King and the COA/Haitink you simply couldn’t go wrong. 😊

[TonyBöhle]

Indeed there is a second recording by Haitink, with Hampson, Heppner, and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester from 1995.

[tom]

Das Lied is one of those pieces I compulsively collect, so for me it's largely impossible to say that there's a single recording that's the greatest ever--and so much depends on one's preference for the soloists. I could never be without Reiner/Forrester/Lewis or Jochum/Merriman/Haefliger or van Beinum//Merriman/Haefliger (obviously a big fan of that rich throbbing Merriman sound), or when in the mood Kletzi/Dickie/F-Diskau. And sometimes I need to hear the Ormandy recording just for its distinctive and positively luscious music-making. But sure, Haitink & Co. are right up there.

[geertdecoster]

Once I had a choice between this one and the Klemperer one with the Philharmonia. My choice wins now 🙂