66 Performances of Mahler's Urlicht (Primal Light)

Urlicht, originally a song in Gustav Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, was later incorporated (with expanded orchestration) into his Symphony No.2, known as the Resurrection Symphony, as the work's fourth movement. To quote Michael Steinberg:

"'Urlicht,' one of Mahler’s loveliest songs, is full of Mahlerian paradox in that its hymnlike simplicity and naturalness are achieved by a metrical flexibility so vigilant of prosody and so complex that the opening section of thirty‑five bars has twenty‑one changes of meter. The chamber‑musical scoring is characteristically detailed and inventive."

This playlists features Urlicht from over 60 performances of the Resurrection Symphony, including the premiere recording made by Oskar Fried with the Berlin State Opera Orchestra in 1924, and almost every critically acclaimed recording in or out of print: Mehta, Abbado, Tennstedt, Klemperer, Kaplan, Rattle and many more.

I only included recordings from complete performances of the 2nd symphony, except for one track from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, sang by Anne Sofie von Otter, attached at the end of the playlist. Besides being an index of Mahler 2 recordings (click the album title of any track if you want to hear the full symphony), it also works as an all-star list of alto and mezzo-sopranos on Spotify.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Mahler: Urlicht (68 tracks, from 66 recordings). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view.  Lyrics below is from Wikipedia.

Original German

Urlicht

O Röschen rot!

Der Mensch liegt in größter Not!

Der Mensch liegt in größter Pein!

Je lieber möcht' ich im Himmel sein.

Da kam ich auf einen breiten Weg:

Da kam ein Engelein und wollt’ mich abweisen.

Ach nein! Ich ließ mich nicht abweisen!

Ich bin von Gott und will wieder zu Gott!

Der liebe Gott wird mir ein Lichtchen geben,

Wird leuchten mir bis in das ewig selig Leben!

In English

Primeval Light

O red rose!

Man lies in greatest need!

Man lies in greatest pain!

How I would rather be in heaven.

There came I upon a broad path

when came a little angel and wanted to turn me away.

Ah no! I would not let myself be turned away!

I am from God and shall return to God!

The loving God will grant me a little light,

Which will light me into that eternal blissful life!

Mahler X

This playlists is a collection of 37 interpretations of Bohemian-Austrian composer Gustav Mahler's final work, the unfinished Tenth Symphony, plus one piano transcription and a recomposition by electronic musician Matthew Herbert.

To keep the playlist neat, I only included the adagio from each album, though many of them are recordings of the various "completed" performing editions. Click the albums titles to hear full performances.

You can also use the playlist as a shortcut to Mahler cycles on Spotify, as the first ten adagios are taken from ten complete Mahler symphonies box-sets: Chailly, Kubelik, Bernstein, Abbado, Gielen, Sinopoli, Haitink, Ozawa, Maazel, and Abravanel. Inbal, Boulez, Zinman and Rattle's cycles are also on Spotify (see their tenth below), though not as one album. The only notable complete sets missing are Solti (who never recorded the tenth), Tennstedt (partially available), MTT (here and gone again), and Bertini's.

Other recordings are sorted by recording date; versions in bold:

• Scherchen, Wiener Philharmoniker, Adagio,1952
• Mitropoulos, New York Philharmonic,  Adagio,1960
• Rozhdestvensky, Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra, Adagio, 1963
• Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cooke I,1965
• Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Adagio,1975
• Sanderling, Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester, Cooke II,1979
• Rattle, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Cooke II,1980
• Bertini, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Adagio, 1983
• Inbal, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, Adagio, 1986
• Rickenbacher, Bamberger Symphoniker Orchester, Adagio, 1988
• A. Legeti, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Adagio, 1991
• Inbal, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, Cooke II, 1992
• Mehta, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Adagio, 1992
• Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adagio, 1994
• Slatkin, Saint-Louis Symphony Orchestra, Mazzetti I, 1994
• Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker, Cooke III, 1999
• Olson, Polish NRSO, Wheeler IV, 2000
• Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Carpenter, 2001
• Kremer,Kremerata Baltica, Adagio (Transcr. for 15 strings, H. Stadlmair), 2001
• Gielen, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Cooke III, 2005
• Harding, Wiener Philharmoniker, Cooke III, 2007
• P. Jarvi, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, Adagio, 2008 
• Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra, Adagio, 2008
• Maazel, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Adagio, 2008
• Zinman, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Carpenter, 2010
• Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra, Adagio, 2010
• Schwarz, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Adagio, 2011

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Mahler X (48 tracks, total time: 17 hours) Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. See a noted discography of the Tenth here. Photo by A. Samur.

Pierre Boulez as Composer & Mahler Conductor

Two playlists to celebrate the 87th birthday of Pierre Boulez, French composer, conductor and winner of 26 Grammys. First one collects his compositions in reverse chronological order, with a brief and appropriate intro at the beginning: seven extracts of his most important works, from the DG compilation Pierre Boulez at 80: The Conductor and The Composer. Boulez often rework and expand earlier works dramatically; I included all the versions available on Spotify.

Works in this playlist includes (with dates of completion/revision):

• Dérive 2 (expanded and completed 2006)
• Dérive 2 for eleven instruments (revised 2002)
• Sur incises for three pianos, three harps and three percussionists (1996–1998)
• Anthèmes 2 for violin and live electronics (1997)
• Dialogue de l'ombre double (transcribed for bassoon and electronics, 1985/1995)
• Incises for piano (1994)
• Anthèmes for violin (revised and expanded 1994)
• "...explosante-fixe..." for solo MIDI flute, two "shadow" flutes, chamber orchestra, and electronics (1991–93)
• Anthèmes for violin (1991) 
• Pli selon pli for soprano and orchestra (1957–58; revised 1989)
• Le visage nuptial for soprano, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (1946; revised 1988-89)
• Mémoriale ("...explosante-fixe..." originel) for flute and ensemble (1985); an arrangement of the central section from "...explosante-fixe..."
• Dialogue de l'ombre double for clarinet and electronics (1985)
  
• Dérive 1 for six instruments (1984)
• Répons for two pianos, harp, vibraphone, xylophone, cimbalom, ensemble and live electronics (1980; revised and expanded 1982; revised and expanded 1984)
• Notations for orchestra (1978- )
• Messagesquisse for solo cello and six cellos (1976)
• Rituel - in memoriam Bruno Maderna for orchestra in eight groups (1974)
• Cummings ist der Dichter for chorus and ensemble (1970; revised 1986)
• Domaines for clarinet and six instrumental groups (1968)
• Domaines for clarinet (1968)
• Figures-doubles-prismes for orchestra (1957–58, as Doubles; revised 1964; revised 1968)
• Livre pour cordes (1968; string orchestra version of Livre pour quatuor)
• Éclat for ensemble (1965)
• Le soleil des eaux for soprano, chorus and orchestra (1948; revised 1965)
• Piano Sonata no.3 (1955-57/63); unfinished
• Pli selon pli for soprano and orchestra (1957–58, as Improvisations sur Mallarmé 1–2; completed 1959–62)
• Structures II for two pianos (1961)
• Poésie pour pouvoir for tape and 3 orchestras (1955/58); withdrawn
• Le marteau sans maître for alto and six instruments (1953–55; revised 1957)
• Structures I for two pianos (1951–52)
• Polyphonie X for ensemble (1950–51); withdrawn
• Piano Sonata no.2 (1948)
• Sonatine for flute and piano (1946)
• Piano Sonata no.1 (1946)
• Douze notations for piano (1945)

Second playlist is the complete Mahler recordings Boulez made with DG, including the ten symphonies (plus an individual recording of Totenfeier from "Resurrection"), Das Lied and two albums of other songs; arranged in the order of composition date. I also put Boulez's only Bruckner recording to date, a monumental 8th, at the end.

Here are the Spotify playlists: Boulez as Composer: Reverse Chronological Collection With Intro (111 tracks, total time: 14 hours); Boulez Conducts Mahler & Bruckner (99 tracks, total time: 16 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view.

Happy 87th birthday; still waiting for Godot.

Hidden David Zinman Mahler Cycle on Spotify

"David Zinman's Mahler cycle has been among the most significant recording achievements of the last few years, if not without its controversies."  - Guardian Music

Just like the hidden Michael Gielen recordings, David Zinman's complete Mahler cycle is available on Spotify, but all tagged wrong (mostly as Barenboim). I hope Spotify would add a simple feedback function so users can report problems inside the client.

Here's the Spotify playlist: Mahler: 10 Symphonies - David Zinman (68 tracks, total time: 13 hours) Some albums might be unavailable in the UK or Sweden at this moment, but I believe soon enough the archaic digital copyright laws will die off, geographic restrictions in the age of cloud computing is a sick joke that no one finds funny anymore. Press Ctrl (CMD on Macs) + G to browse in album view.

Hidden Michael Gielen Recordings on Spotify

Michael Gielen is one of the leading Mahler interpreters today, but if you search for "Gielen Mahler" in Spotify, the reslut is empty. The Haenssler label, or Spotify themselves, seem to have tagged most Gielen recordings without the conductor's name, so I compiled a playlist for the Gielen recordings that you cannot find on his Spotify artist page.

Here's the Spotify playlist: Michael Gielen: Hidden Recordings (156 tracks, total time: 22 hours) Press Ctrl (Command on Macs) + G to browse in album view. It includes all recordings from the Mahler cycle that are available on Spotify, a Bruckner 8th coupled with Morton Feldman's Coptic Light, a bunch of modern classics, and the most avant-garde of them all: Beethoven's Grosse Fuge.

Debussy, Mahler, and Scriabin Played By Themselves

Spotify just added some of the most important piano roll recordings from Pierian Recording Society, including the complete known piano rolls of Debussy, Ravel, and Scriabin. You can find some raving reviews for the Debussy disk here, and detailed informations for the Scriabin and Ravel recording.

Also from this amazing series: piano rolls of Lizst's students plays Liszt, Respighi plays Fountains of Rome, and Granados plays his own works. Recordings from other label in this playlist: a Mahler piano roll recording realised with Mahler's own piano, and Shostakovich plays his piano works, including a piano duet arrangement of his Symphony No.10, recorded in 1954.

Here's the Spotify playlist: Composer as Pianist (144 tracks, 10 hours)

ABC Classic FM's Classic 100 Symphony

During 2009, the Australian ABC Classic FM radio station conducted a survey of listeners' favourite symphonies. Participants were permitted to vote for their three preferred symphonies. The result is a very decent list of great symphonies. All of Sibelius's symphonies are in the list, so do all of Rachmaninov's, plus his choral symphony The Bells. Eight out of Mahler's nine numbered and finished symphonies, as well as Das Lied von der Erde made the list.

Check out the official site and wiki for the full list and other info.

I compiled a playlist according to this ABC list. Only three symphonies by Australian contemporary composers are missing on Spotify. For every symphony I tried to use my favourite recording. For Mahler, I chose Kubelik for No.1, Abbado and Lucerne Festival Orchestra for No.2, Bernstein and NYPO for No.3, Boulez for No.4 (because the Szell recording is not on Spotify for now), Barbirolli for No.5, Mitropoulos for No.6, Solti for No.8, Klemperer for The Song of the Earth, and Haitink for No.9. It would be great if you can share your oponions on the best performances of these symphonies.

Here's the Spotify playlist: ABC Classic FM's Classic 100 Symphony (451 tracks, total time: 2 days) Arranged from from No. 100 to No.1.

Michael Tilson Thomas' Mahler Cycle Is Now On Spotify

Here's the Spotify playlist: Mahler: MTT & SFS (69 tracks, 15 hours) It includes the nine symphonies and Das Lied von Der Erde. I also put their Das klagende Lied at the end, though unlike the other recordings, it was released by BMG, not San Francisco Symphony's own publishing company.

Also check out SFS' wonderful site Keeping Score for some cool stuff.

EMI & Virgin Classics: May Highlights On Spotify

Click the images below to open the albums in Spotify. Check out more information at the official page on the EMI site.

Gustav Mahler - the Complete Works 150th Anniversary Edition

(Spotify Links: 16CDs Set, 2-CD Set of Adagios)

Mahler: Sympony No.2 "Resurrection"

(Spotify Link)

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2, Klavierstücke Op.76

（Spotify Link)

Shhh! Nigel Kennedy Quintet feat. Boy George

(Spotify Link)

Classical Legends - In their own words

(Spotify Link)

100 Best Verdi

(Spotify Link)

And "Robert Schumann - 200th Anniversary 4 themed collections comprising Schumann's greatest works." Spotify links: Lieder, Piano Music, Chamber Music, and Orchestral Works. I promise you that I'm going to post my own Schumann playlist on his 200th birthday next month.

Thank you EMI, for getting your new releases on Spotify so soon:)