Jawad’s Classical Archives – Set 01, CD 016

Ferrier sings Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, etc. (Decca Legends)

My Opinion

I have a mixed feeling about this particular recording. On one hand, it features the most beautiful singing one might dream of hearing. On the other, it is infused with an unbearable sense of tragedy surrounding its main protagonists: Gustav Mahler, the composer, and Kathleen Ferrier, the female singer.

Das Lied von der Erde is one of Gustav Mahler’s greatest compositions, and this rendition by Dame Kathleen Ferrier (1912-1953) with a Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by the great Bruno Walter is undoubtly among the most satisfying. Sadly enough, the work was recorded shortly after the great British contralto was diagnosed with breast cancer that will lead to her untimely death. The sheer beauty of singing only adds to the poignancy and the pathos of being deprived of such a talent at such a young age. I had the exact same feeling the first time I heard Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti’s landmark interpretation of Chopin Waltzes: deep, almost unfathomable sadness.

The direction by Bruno Walter – a pupil of Mahler – benefits greatly from his intimate understanding of this sublime music, and the Wiener Philharmoniker is – that goes without saying – a first-class orchestra. All in all, this is an unmissable recording.

Reviews

“Rather than try to find something new to say about this famous recording, I just want to make a few reflections. Is it possible to ignore, while listening, a whole series of outside factors? Mahler obsessed with death and clinging to the life he loved, Mahler’s pupil Bruno Walter enjoying a rare opportunity to conduct a major work by the master whose work he passionately propagated whenever he could (do younger listeners even realise how seldom this work was played in those days?), on an almost equally rare post-war return to his beloved Vienna Philharmonic, and with his protégé Kathleen Ferrier, who he had patiently guided to became a great lieder singer, in the full flower of her stupendous voice? And above all, Ferrier herself, just turned 40 yet singing the Abschied in full awareness that her own days were numbered (she died the following year)? And if we could put all this on one side, would it be right to do so? For all these factors converge to make this not just a record, not just a performance, nor even just a document, but a magic moment in time, mercifully preserved for us. So get it if you don’t have it already, but don’t spoil it by listening to it too often, choose a good modern version for everyday use and take this out from time to time to remind yourself that these moments really happen. Oh, and I nearly forget to say that Patzak is excellent and the recording, if a little shallow, is incredibly good for its age.” – Christopher Howell, review in musicweb-international.com.