{"product_id":"walter-mahler-vaughan-williams-live-in-new-york-1953-paco232","title":"WALTER Mahler \u0026 Vaughan Williams live in New York (1953) - PACO232","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eMAHLER\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e Das Lied von der Erde\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eVAUGHAN WILLIAMS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e\nLive concert recording, 1953\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e\nTotal duration: 74:18\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSet Svanholm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e, tenor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eElena Nikolaidi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e, contralto\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\nconducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eBruno Walter\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fGramophone Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fA distinguished concert all told, well recorded for its time.578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003eBruno Walter’s American sojourn witnessed some of the most poised and thoughtful orchestral recordings of the century, especially in music by his one-time friend and colleague Gustav Mahler, a number of whose major works he recorded, often more than once. Of the soloists he called upon, contralto Kathleen Ferrier was his favourite. He once said of her: ‘The greatest thing in music in my life has been to have known Kathleen Ferrier and Gustav Mahler - in that order.’ A broadcast recording of \u003cem\u003eDas Lied von der Erde\u003c\/em\u003e featuring the Greek-American contralto Elena Nikolaidi with tenor Set Svanholm was taped just months before Ferrier’s early death in 1953, so one wonders whether that impending tragedy was weighing on Walter’s mind at the time of this performance (the two collaborated on a famous 1952 Vienna recording of \u003cem\u003eDas Lied\u003c\/em\u003e for Decca). This 1953 New York account is notably heroic, especially from Svanholm (who also recorded the work live, with Ferrier, under Walter in 1948), and whose singing of the tenor role has never sounded better than it does in Andrew Rose’s fresh transfer. Nikolaidi’s intensely expressive account of the desolate closing ‘Der Abschied’ is nearer, time-wise, to Ferrier in 1948 than to the Decca recording, but detail is legion, especially around the pitch-black funeral procession, with its sighing tam-tam, that leads into the final statement of the movement’s unforgettable main melody. It’s a remarkable performance but don’t forget the 1960 Sony recording, also with stereo sound that is miraculous for the period. The disc under review includes the other featured masterpiece that Walter conducted at the same July 1953 concert, Vaughan Williams’s \u003cem\u003eFantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis\u003c\/em\u003e. Like other American recordings of the work from roughly the same era (under Munch, Monteux and Toscanini) the performance sports a subtle level of sweetening portamento that not everyone will deem appropriate for this most English of masterpieces, but Walter never overstates the case and at 14'41\" the performance is never indulgent. Far from it, in fact. A distinguished concert all told, well recorded for its time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRob Cowan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGramophone\u003c\/i\u003e, July 2026\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO232.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cdiv class=\"release-notes\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nBruno Walter’s relationship with Mahler’s \u003cem\u003eDas Lied von der Erde\u003c\/em\u003e was not merely interpretative but personal.\nAs Mahler’s close associate and trusted interpreter, Walter returned to this work repeatedly across his career, each\nperformance reflecting a slightly different emotional climate. This Carnegie Hall concert from 22 February 1953\npreserves one of his most compelling late readings: urgent, humane, and shaped with the authority of lived experience.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nThe performance survives as part of a radio broadcast, and unusually for \u003cem\u003eDas Lied von der Erde\u003c\/em\u003e, the programme opens\nnot with Mahler but with \u003cem\u003eFantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis\u003c\/em\u003e. The presence of Vaughan Williams’s \u003cem\u003eFantasia\u003c\/em\u003e is\nmore than incidental. Heard here in close proximity to Mahler’s farewell to life, it sets a reflective, spacious frame —\nEnglish modal stillness giving way to Mahler’s more restless, questioning voice. In restoring this broadcast, the spoken\nannouncements (fragmentary and incomplete) have been removed, but the Vaughan Williams has been retained and identified\nas part of the original event.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nWalter’s Mahler is distinguished by forward motion and natural speech-rhythm. Tempi are spacious without ever becoming\nindulgent, and the long paragraphs unfold with a sense of inevitability rather than careful calculation. This is not\nMahler as monument, but Mahler as lived drama. Climaxes are allowed to arrive rather than be manufactured, and the quieter\npassages carry an intensity born of concentration, not restraint.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nSet Svanholm’s contribution is particularly striking in this newly restored transfer. Long characterised in earlier issues\nby a metallic edge, his tenor here emerges with a far more integrated tonal profile. The brilliance remains — necessary for\nthe drinking songs’ biting irony — but the hardness has vanished. What comes through instead is clarity of line, stamina,\nand an expressive directness that serves Mahler’s alternation between bravado and disillusion with remarkable honesty.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nElena Nikolaidi brings a contrasting strength: centred, steady, and unsentimental. She does not seek an otherworldly aura,\nbut communicates Mahler’s text with gravity and poise. In \u003cem\u003eDer Abschied\u003c\/em\u003e, her long phrases are sustained with calm\nauthority, allowing the movement’s emotional weight to accumulate gradually. The result is a farewell that feels earned\nrather than consoling — deeply human, and all the more moving for it.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nBecause this is a live performance, the orchestra plays with a heightened sense of alertness. Woodwind lines flicker in and\nout of focus, inner voices speak clearly, and tuttis have weight without heaviness. Walter’s control of balance ensures that\nthe singers remain integrated within the orchestral texture, never riding above it, never submerged by it.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nSonically, this restoration represents a decisive reappraisal of the performance. Earlier transfers inevitably reflected the\nlimitations of their time, but here the sound is open, present, and remarkably immediate. There is no residual hum, no veil of\nage: orchestral colour is vivid, voices are firmly placed, and the dynamic range allows Walter’s long arcs to register fully.\nWhat emerges is not merely a “valuable historical document”, but a performance that can be heard on its own musical terms.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nThis Carnegie Hall \u003cem\u003eDas Lied von der Erde\u003c\/em\u003e stands alongside Walter’s finest Mahler recordings as a testament to his unique\nauthority in this music. Framed by Vaughan Williams’s \u003cem\u003eFantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis\u003c\/em\u003e, it captures a concert\noccasion of rare coherence and depth — Mahler’s farewell illuminated by a conductor who understood its meaning from the inside.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cdiv class=\"tracklist\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:24px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWALTER\u003c\/b\u003e Mahler \u0026amp; Vaughan Williams live in New York\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e1.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eVAUGHAN WILLIAMS\u003c\/b\u003e Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(14:41)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:20px;\"\u003eMAHLER\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:20px;\"\u003e Das Lied von der Erde\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e2.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eDas Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(8:57)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e3.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eDer Einsame im Herbst \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(8:41)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e4.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eVon der Jugend \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(3:33)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e5.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eVon der Schönheit \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:28)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e6.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eDer Trunkene im Frühling \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:36)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e7.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eDer Abschied \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(27:22)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSet Svanholm\u003c\/b\u003e, tenor\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eElena Nikolaidi\u003c\/b\u003e, contralto\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nconducted by \u003cb\u003eBruno Walter\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nXR remastered by Andrew Rose.\u003cbr\u003e\nRecorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, 22 February 1953.\u003cbr\u003e\nTotal duration: 74:18.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover 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