Mahler: Symphony No 3, 1st movement (Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra)

[kropchik]

where is the drama, phrasing, articulation, tension in melanconic parts!?

[Therearemen16]

SO many horns!!

[youcantholdthisback]

@Therearemen16 its rather horny...

[Mizzles240]

maaaaaaaaaaad horns

[JimmyFightingBack]

Holy horns, batman.

[Jonesbone3]

Yes, love the trombone solo, it's one of my favorites. He plays it so well too ;-)

[nekrorider]

1:32

[nekrorider]

1:34

[OpusNo1]

Mahler Symphony No.3 Film Montage scene on my page (1974)

[Haritonov46]

The trombonist is good, Gergiev sucks as always. Hate him so much!!

[EstJazzJ]

I hope people understand how powerful Mahler is, conductor is wet at the beginning of the masterpiece.

[DavidWBrooks]

@EstJazzJ THat's because this is the recapituation, and they've already been at it for something like 20 minutes.

[TheVaughan5]

Why is the sound so bad!  I know that fucking Barbican has dodgy acoustics but surely not this bad?

[jhavid2]

sounds like the music id expect in a movie castle siege scene

[LeonardAbbado3]

@jhavid2 That's exactly what I thought the first time I heard this part.

[wPHao]

one of my favorite pieces of music, and my favorite conductor.

[jamesaellis]

The ending of this work is amazing! T_T

[Cellogirl1000]

Love this piece! Am playing it at the moment with West London Sinfonia!!

[changjiang001]

why does the opening of the horns resemble Brahms sym. 1 finale "ode to joy"(1st theme)?

[DrDeist]

@changjiang001 :

"why does the opening of the horns resemble Brahms sym. 1 finale?"

By George, you're right. It's a variation on Brahms' theme. Thanks, you just spoiled my all-time favorite fanfare.

[Phantomking90]

Damn I heard this guy is going to Coachella.

[Phantomking90]

Damn I heard this guy is going to Coachella.

[emanonami]

Wow, that is a lot of French Horns! :P

[LLJtbone]

Holy horns is right but loving the trombones more.

[Zielkenoel]

Holy Horns!

[khaderach19]

dude 9 horns!!!

[777wallaby777]

@Lso the 9th is the best!

[EDGJZConglomerate]

@777wallaby777 LOVE IT! The ninth is possibly one of the greatest musical journeys ever composed.

[hiyetty]

Is the LSO Planning on recording Nos. 5 and 9? I saw Gergiev conducting the 5th in the proms and it was brilliant!

[Lso]

@hiyetty Just to let you know that we have just put our Mahler 5 recording with Gergiev on sale online. You can pre-order it now, and it will be posted out a week before the official release date, 31 Janurary. lso.co.uk. Mahler 9 will follow after its recorded in March.

[sirmattbelios]

@Lso I saw the 9th at the Barbican centre a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing!! Will the recording be one recorded in front of an audience?

[Lso]

@sirmattbelios Yes, all the recordings on LSO Live are the ones recorded live at the Barbican, and the recording of the 9th coming out in the near future will be that recorded at the beginning of March.

[henryvann]

@sirmattbelios Except for Mahler's 8th which is from St Paul's Cathedral.

[Lso]

@henryvann indeed! Forgot about that one being different. Thanks!

[atrios28]

anyone know what key this is in?

[leptismagna10]

@atrios28 d minor

[atrios28]

@leptismagna10 thanks. i love it. i searched all night to find the only Mahler CD i ever owned and was grateful to find it again. 

To everybody: where should a young Mahler initiate go next after the 2nd

[777wallaby777]

@atrios28 ré mineur

[migosch1]

1.trombone sounds great!

[KinwunMingyi]

Listen again everyone. Gergiev delivers sublime Mahler. He is Mahler stands sqaure in the tradition of Bruno Walter. For me, the great question is whether it is he or Dudamel who is the greatest living interpreter of Gustav Mahler.

[777wallaby777]

@KinwunMingyi

for me it's dudamel, but they are super ;)

[LelaBay]

PS I would definitely give him a hear cut,but rest is irreversible,we all like to express our emotions to the end,that how we stay psychologically healthy.LOL

[valihorn92]

wow... epic :)

[unclejuniorsoprano]

This performance ranks with the Karajan performances, but possessing a bit more gusto. The opening begins like a Russianesque version of the 4th mov. of Brahms' 1st. I am very impressed with Valery Gergiev treatment of Mahler; dark, tragic, insular. This is not music for welcoming the new day. It's very brassy & this orchestra definitely has an outstanding brass section. I'm particularly impressed with the trombonist's playing of this endearing solo. Bravo!

[martytrombone]

I left a very negative comment with the video of the 6th movement, because I found, and still find that Gergiev messed up there. I must say that this part of the 1st movement has a great tension, due to both very intense conducting by Gergiev and fantastic playing by the trombone soloist!

I guess the problem with Gergiev is that he ALWAYS conducts very intensely with EACH piece, so that there is always a danger that his energy turns into nervousness or uncontrolled playing in the orchestra.

[martinusB95]

@martytrombone

I like his risks, above playing it safe.

He let the musicians sit on the edge of their seats.

But/and let you enjoy every second.

[LelaBay]

@martytrombone This is an honest,constructive comment, I'll say.Thanks for not including a hatred notes in your comment

He does seem being nervous, but because I know his origins and cultural background I believe that inside he is very balanced man.Behind tempered and crazy appearance there always hidden caring gentleman The question is if Orchestra can handle it.

[garfieldtbn]

@LLJtbone. If it's the same trombone that Dudley Bright was using a few years back it's an Elkhart Conn 8H, not a Conn 'Artist Symphony' 8H. I think his dates from around1973.

[LLJtbone]

@garfieldtbn Yeah.. I am always coming back to this piece of music. I love the way he plays this music, nice and fluid sounding. Somebody said something about not listening to pop music because of music like this. I'd have to agree with that one. I do like pop music but love classical music above all.

[mortalfrog0815]

@LLJtbone try the version with bernstein and the vienna philharmonic, it's so much better! i don't really like the lso, the trombone section has fallen apart since bousfield is gone!

[LLJtbone]

@mortalfrog0815 Ok, I will go check out the Vienna Philharmonic. I sure like the 1st tbone players sound though.

[VanAdlerMusic]

this is the reason why i almost never listen to pop music anymore

when you listen to something this sublime, its hard to go back

[arnikloes]

I think somewhere around 1:30

Bassoon forget to play

[LLJtbone]

Yeah I know I have commented on this guys playing before but wow, just really liking his sound. I wonder what kind of tbone he's playing there? I love his composure too.

[Snookbone]

@LLJtbone Hi, I'm pretty sure he's playing a Conn 8H possibly an Artist Symphony 8H. They do have a colourful sound... but it's mostly down to the player of course. Hope this helps!

[LLJtbone]

@Snookbone Ok thanks :-) Definitely down to the player and in this guys case, a very good player!

[Snookbone]

@LLJtbone Yeah, that's Dudley Bright, he teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London as well.

[elKarlos84]

virtuosity!

[elend56]

London Symphony Orchestra as I remember tends to have an austere, over-disciplined, almost army-like sound, but in this recording a true artistic sense, profound and delicate, has been shown. Bravo.

[TheMusicmajorman]

Music is like candy... You have to get rid of all the rappers.

[TheKevinV08]

Mahler likes his horns...

[sean82091]

This symphony has a good beginning with all the French horns while Mahler wrote a solo section for trombone.

[LLJtbone]

OH yeah, bring on the tbone solo!! Love this.

[djisco]

I-M-P-R-E-S-I-O-N-A-N-T-E

[gwaur]

Gosh, this is SO Lord of the Rings. :P

[MrRockwell1995]

@gwaur

More like: "Lord of the Rings is SO Mahler" ;)

[LazarusErlking]

@MrRockwell1995 Exactly. Contemporary movie soundtracks would be nothing without Mahler's influence.

[IdealInsomnia]

I really loved his interpretation of that piece, 1st movement esp. That is what you can truly call "Dionysian music". Live performance in Saint-Petersburg was also extremely good.

[LLJtbone]

Man, what a great sound that guy has. I guess you don't get in the LSO sucking!!

[davew0927]

1:21 that look he gives the camera is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen!!!!

[quintos34]

Whoahhh this is awsome..

I liked Chailly's best so far (Concertgebouw Orkest) but this is very good as well.. Guess I'll have to buy this one too lol

[srorasco1]

hmm first movement is sposed to be 30 mins long

[ranimal101]

the trombone solo was great

[Pdnorell]

This is my absolute favorite recording of this movement, I have this on CD and am surprised to see it on youtube now.

[Violetatorelli]

Outstanding version! Bravo, Maestro!!!

[ewhguitarist]

This is such a wonderfully strange piece of music, I think it's possibly the most frightening piece mahler ever wrote!

[wabbitsnot]

WAIT THIS ISN'T THE BEGINNING!!! I feel cheated :(

that horn player at 0:48 looks like Dwight

[kotetsu131]

You know you have a lot of horns when they take up their own row in the orchestra!

[HomesliceSym]

repeat if weezer brought you here.

[YTBeatBattle]

nice

[MasterAzunai]

this is not the beginning of the first movement. This is about 20 minutes in. Great though!

[arkticheskiy]

I agree :)

[MasterAzunai]

why thank you!!! A mite to staccato for me, more "schllepend". (or how I think dragging is spelled in german) ;)

[flutage]

wow trombone solo and french horn section

[Philbatrom]

my favorite sections are the Horns and the low brass

[dlbucko]

Oh my gosh, you lot and your righteous "oh it's not this or it's not that or i heard a wrong note at x:xx or I think such and such a recording was better or the trombonist was flat....." just shut up and enjoy the piece, it's wonderful...moreover I'd like to hear any of you musical philistines do any better!! and to those of you who just enjoy the music, good on you, that's what it's here for!!!

[oopsnuts]

Whoa dude it's Dwight from the office @ 0:44!!!

[djisco]

ola que hay, me llamo juan y voy solo, por cierto pedassso de sinfonia

[spoondawg27]

I know this is a live recording and everything, its fantastic as it is the lso.  But San Francisco's recording of this will always be at the top of my list.

[DizzyShaw]

The brass sounds unbelievable!

[JC92488]

It matters not if it's a real "symphony" or not. There's too much analyzing these days and not enough listening. It's a wonderful piece of music written by Mahler called Symphony No. 3 - That's all that matters. Just click play and enjoy :)

[FungoBoy]

active listening calls for analyses

[MiyazakiKnight]

i think ur all missing the point here. symphony or not, just close ur eyes and listen to that beautiful music, that great trombone solo. think of the music in ur own personal way - for me, it kinda makes me think of WWI

[EriolAB]

waaaait a second. Could someone explain me why this is different from my bernstein recording? In the very beginning, the part with the trumpets, in my bernstein recording the sequence is only half as long! i'm confused! Did he write different versions?

[trumpetjasser]

This starts at the recap from later in the movement.

[fischpredigt]

[sigh] youtube is full of so many righteous responses.. who is right? anyway, i don't think gergiev is a good mahler conductor! at least with the lso.. lack of immediate genuineness, simple immediacy and efficacy.. he labours the interpretation with his heavy russian bullshit..!

[benimoler]

dudley bright!

[nco62292]

y does the video start at the recapitulation? lol when the trombone went all into to the quiet part i was so confused!

[mooshoobutt]

can i have a mp3 download anywhere on this?

[Lso]

Hiya, you can buy all the LSO's Mahler recordings conducted by Gergiev as MP3s from iTunes, eMusic and Amazon.

[mooshoobutt]

awesome!!! I love this symphony. it is my favorite. Don't ya'll all love classical music?

[ilovewilsonal]

YAH, I totally LOV classical! I hate all that stupid rap and hip hop hurts my ears!!

[AncientsReborn]

@ilovewilsonal Why compare rap/hip hop to classical? They're both art. People expressing themselves through music. The expression may be different, but they are both art and should be respected... Even if you rap isn't to your liking. And just because you do not understand rap music, doesn't mean it is stupid. Most people (particularily white people) who say that haven't even given it a chance. What they really mean is "I don't like black people music."

[HeyDufus]

@ilovewilsonal Couldn't have said it better!! Remember, you can't spell "crap" without rap!

[emanonami]

@ilovewilsonal :D As a composer, this makes me incredibly happy to hear!

[largemoose]

"The concert G in the 5th measure of the trombone solo (2:10 in the clip) is slightly sharp. The low A in the 10th measure (2:25) is slightly flat, making the following interval (augmented 5th, already dissonant interval) sound a bit wide."

yes.

[SonofDostojevskij]

The absolut greatest komposer of the morderna eara.

[ThaSchwab]

Isn't the chord at 0:41 supposed to be a major chord? I've always heard it that way; someone must've been playing a wrong note.

[houseisawesome96]

I highly doubt someone played a wrong note.

[ThaSchwab]

Someone did, unless I'm having trouble hearing. I believe the chord is supposed to be major.

[maestrokoury]

Yes, I have studied the score as well as listened to riccardo chailly's recordings with the concertgebouw, and that chord is most definitely supposed to be major!

[0modernmillie0]

it wasn't perfect intonation but (I have been told) that the performance was under alot of stress as Gergiev had unavoidably been detained in Russia and only had time for a run through on the day. (earlier rehearsals being taken by someone else). They basically only had one run through and one performance to get it in the can for a live CD so......!

[DJChrisBradley]

The concert G in the 5th measure of the trombone solo (2:10 in the clip) is slightly sharp. The low A in the 10th measure (2:25) is slightly flat, making the following interval (augmented 5th, already dissonant interval) sound a bit wide. Neither of these errors were more than 10 cents off pitch. In terms of equal tempered tuning, he was closer than it sounded, but in the scalar context those intervals have different pitch tendencies. Overall though, solo sounds excellent, very tasteful!

[AndyD201]

GO HORNS!

[punkazn77]

god i love the trombone solo.

[JMR6916]

How come Paul Milner only plays 3rd, instead of 4th?

[TechnoBIan]

Wow!!! Huge horn section!!!

Neat. I liked it.

[DFRosenthal]

I enjoyed this clip very much. Being a trombonist, I have heard many people play this solo; this is indeed a very fine performance!

[ahsdm07]

This is unreal.

[HornPlayerBen]

that has to have been cut up a bit on my recording the trombone solo doesnt start for at leat 5:30.. or may this is a revision.. or my version haha but yeah it seems too quick its missing sections

[schnozz87]

this is the recapitulation, not the opening, if you listen carefully you can hear the offstage snare drums at the start of the clip... that might explain the problem!

[HornPlayerBen]

i realised that just after i posted! hahahaha

[MasterAzunai]

it starts at the recapitulation. (about 20 minutes in ;)

[JMR6916]

Sad... His intonation is not always on the money

[macree01]

who the trombonist? No way sir, thats Dudley Bright, one of the greatest orchestral trombonists on the earth, his intonation is never off.

[parmat88]

Gorgeous trombone playing!

[Standerlpartiebaby]

Great trombone solo!

[LLJtbone]

The conductor looks like Hell Boy! Yes and what a very awesome sound the trombone player has.

[atrain118]

his sound is great, but his intonation is off in a FEW places

[julaibeeb]

I am a horn player & this rendition is HOT!!!!!!!

[seowl]

GREAT OPENING!

[maksiorro]

9 horns :*

[MasterAzunai]

mahler only wrote for eight, the ninth is an assistant to the principal. In case he gets tired. still... Holy crap!!!

[KendoSaggyknackers]

It's all very good... But you can't call 'that' a 'symphony'...

[TheresNoEinALLI]

Are you kidding me?

[KendoSaggyknackers]

I was quoting, or at least paraphrasing, a remark made by a 20th century British composer about Mahler's Third. The only thing is, I can't remember which composer it was who said this - can anyone help me out on this? My hazy recollection suggests that it might have been William Walton, however I am by no means certain. So, if anyone knows, would you please put me out of my misery and let ME know...

[KendoSaggyknackers]

"Mahler - a tolerable impersonation of a composer."...

[thereisonlyonething]

who said that? what an utterly ignorant comment.

[KendoSaggyknackers]

You'd like to know who said that - other then myself, of course? You mean to say, from which source did my quotation originate? Why, it was none other than that very epitome of ignorance himself: English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams...

... "Get Some."...

[thereisonlyonething]

Vaughan Williams doesn't hold a candle to Mahler IMO. I believe his music to be ornamental, shallow, pompous (a view reinforced by that comment), and predictable, just like most other modern English composers save for guys like Elgar who broke free from the mind-numbingly boring english folk song idiom. Could just be a matter of taste, but I believe (and I'm far from alone in this) Mahler's symphonies are far, far more timeless. Again, just my opinion, we'll agree to disagree.

[TiaAlmpoura]

It might be because you may not perceive the storm and heavy clouds comming behind the trembling mountain...

Concentrate and li-s-t-en, the beauty is in every sound, hiding.

And Art is what ever can make you dream (and produce -healthy- images)...

Tia

[KendoSaggyknackers]

"Are you 'avin a laarf?!!!"

[KendoSaggyknackers]

The nature of my role hitherto has been merely to play Devil's Advocate. I threw the VW quote into the mix as so far the comments regarding this piece have been mainly ones of unbridled appreciation for it - and why not? As you imply, music can only ever be utterly subjective, that is to say subject to the ears of the beholder, which essentially comes down to a matter of individual taste. Notwithstanding, as "Duke" Ellington said, that "There are only two types of music - good and bad."...

[MasterAzunai]

I totally agree. Mahler was one of the greatest composers of all time, and Vaughan Williams, well, I just found out he existed about a month ago and have been listening to classical music for my entire life. And besides? when's the last time Vaughan Williams could write something like this, or the symphony of a thousand. How about never.

[nevertheless123]

yeah I consider Mahler to be the compendium of all music before him, and a taste of the music to come.

[1spissatus]

@KendoSaggyknackers

I enjoy the music of both composers but i think VW was out of order with that comment!

[KendoSaggyknackers]

@1spissatus You have a point - he may well have been out of order. However it's interesting that a previous commentator's opinion was that the remark was 'utterly ignorant' - but can VW really be accused of being a musical ignoramus? It may be worth taking into account though, that Mahler's music began to become more widely appreciated in the 1960's and later, after VW's death. Perhaps his music wasn't given a fair hearing up to that point, but that has been amended in the last forty years.

[1spissatus]

@KendoSaggyknackers

Both composers have such individual voices and yet their music is so different, although I do hear a Mahlerian influence in the scherzo of VW's 8th. VW was not a musical ignoramus; I just think he didn't like Mahler's music. Maybe he could have said: "Not my cup of tea Squire", and left it at that! But then Sibelius and Mahler, again very different voices, at least had respect for each other although having opposing views on what a symphony should represent.

[KendoSaggyknackers]

@1spissatus Indeed, as Mahler said, "The symphony must be like the world, it must contain everything." Whereas Sibelius' essays in the form were essentially conventional, with the exception of the single movement seventh symphony, which could just as easily be called a 'tone poem'.

[1spissatus]

@KendoSaggyknackers

Both composers had very individual voices although I hear a bit of Mahler's influence in the scherzo of VW's 8th. I don't think VW was a musical ignoramus at all; I think he just didn't like Mahler's music. Maybe he could have said:"Not my cup of tea Squire", and left it at that! But then Sibelius and Mahler, again so different, at least had respect for each other despite their opposite views of what a symphony should represent.

[ThaSchwab]

Then you can't call any of Mahler's symphonies such. Symphonies are defined by their structure, nothing else.

[KendoSaggyknackers]

OK - point acknowledged and accepted. However I think that Walton was expressing the view that Mahler's third departed so dramatically from all previous examples of symphonic "form" (albeit "form" not in being in of itself a prerequisite of the symphony) that he found it hard to reconcile the grotesqueries, excesses and general high calorie content of the Mahler 3rd with the symphonic repertoire as he understood it then.

[ThaSchwab]

This does make sense. Compare Beethoven's 3rd to Mahler's 3rd and this won't seem to be a symphony. The problem is, what else could it be? Not a concerto, a tone poem (maybe), etc.