Mahler: Symphony No 3, 6th movement (Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra)

[jgesselberty]

What's the rush? He's too ugly to have a hot date waiting for him at the end of the concert. Gergiev simply is out of touch with Mahler's mind and should not be permitted to conduct Mahler.

[kamanetzki]

This is really to fast. The score says "langsam ruhevoll empfunden" or slowly, calmly felt". Obviously there is some leeway on the word "langsam" but surely not this much. This is rather crude music making, almost as if he wants to get the thing over and done with. Such a pity, as the LSO play this score superbly in the right hands. Listen to the classic recording of the LSO and Horenstein (Unicorn label).

[townsendjean]

hell, i thot bing crosby was about to burst out with "i'll be seeing you"!

[zuckerkrank]

게르기에브의 해석에 불만을 제기하시는 분이 많은 것 같은데, 전 말러의 교향곡을 이렇게도 해석할 수 있다는 모험적인 시도로 받아들이고 싶어요. 번스타인이나 아바도의 해석도 좋지요. 하지만 그것이 말러를 받아들이는 유일한 해답은 아니라고 생각해요.^^ 다만 제 귀에도 너무 조급하게 들리는 면이 없지않아 있지만 이 3번 6악장이 내포한 음악적 내용을 보자면 게르기에브의 해석도 상당한 설득력이 있지 않나 싶습니다. 물론 제 생각일 뿐입니다. 제주장을 이 연주를 싫어하시는 분들에게 강요하고 싶지는 않군요.

[jin12345678]

@zuckerkrank 저도 이 해석이 좋은데요

[nutellaqueenking]

The conductor looks soooo wierd!!! He looks poor and dirty.

[MaestroEspressivo]

Yes, maybe the opposite of best tempi for the climactic sequences. I believe he wants to "gather" those statements by tightening the phrases and tempi, but to be effective, you must then unfurl the phrases and tempi at the climax. Failing to do so leaves a mechanical finish where broad, bold, expansive emotion and power belong. A bit misguided...

[brasstafarian]

Hmm. Wonder why the Germans and Russians disliked each other. This is not Shostakovich

[WhiteTeeBoy]

his hair and the way he's flailing his arms makes him looked cracked out LOL

[eswakuwaku]

トランペット残念です。ヘタクソなんでゲルギエフが早く振ってる­ぞ。

[jbm255]

Gergiev conducted the same symphony with the same orchestra a week ago in Paris at salle pleyel.... It was completly different...much more slow and peacefull....i think he finally understand the meaning of this movement ...

[jamesaellis]

Yeah. That was very much rushed at the end!!! But this si an amzazing work!!!

[rreemmzzrruullee]

im pretty sure Gergiev could give a crap whether or not you like how he conducted it. just shut up and enjoy the music.

[macorona]

So Ugly

[mellem51]

what is your problem?

The Orchestra is amazing. Gergiev just doesnt understand this movement.

[jeromesim]

@mellem51

Amazing orchestra and the best orchestra in the world is 2 different thing. Live in your own world then.

whether Gergiev understand this movement or not , its not up for you to judge.

But the ending was too fast for my liking.

[mellem51]

@jeromesim it's also not up for you to judge.

we all live in one world, for me it's the best orchestra in the world, what you think abou thid, is wayne ;)

[jeromesim]

@mellem51 You can't argue with the fact that there are better orchestras than.. LOL

[mellem51]

@jeromesim did I?

two questions, you should think about: Aren't you able to read?

and i compare your IQ with the of a bred, so what is your problem?

[mellem51]

I know gergiev of conducting 'bilder einer ausstellung' with the berlin philharmonics.

so, the orchestra doesn't watched him and played by itself. Some parts were really embarrassing for gergiev.

sorry for my bad english.

[mellem51]

Why is is gergiev still conducting such great orchestra's? London symphony is the best in the world and WHY am i seeing gergiev there???????

[jeromesim]

@mellem51 London symphony is the best in the world...

I dare you to say it again.

[nikodemus7777]

Yes, that´s true: The final is terrible! But he is a very good conductor, especially for Tschaikowsky..

[guzwall]

I agree its too fast but it is the conductors right to make the piece personalized....so i dont think its tht he doesnt understand it he simply imagined the piece differently than the majority of us would.

[justinbieberforking]

Who's the old guy waving his hands? This isn't as good as Justin Bieber.

[noirvalentin]

Although I am a big Gergiev fan, I have to agree that he's not very good with Mahler. This finale is way too fast. And the series of LSO/Gergiev/Mahler recordings is disappointing.

However one Mahler symphony that Gergiev really gets, for some reason, is number 5. Heard him twice conduct that one, with 2 different orchestras, and believe me it was amazing.

Anyway Gergiev is amazing in Russian music and his Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev recordings are simply the best...

[martinusB95]

@noirvalentin

Totally Agree with you.

[KinwunMingyi]

I have to disagree with most of the posts here. Gergiev gets Mahler full-on. He has retrieved him from the dangerous tendency to play Mahler too slowly in search of an excesive non-Mahlerian melancholy. Gergiev's Mahler stands square in the tradition of Bruno Walter. The only question for me is whether it Gergiev or Dudamel who is the greatest living exponent of Gustav Mahler's work.

[KinwunMingyi]

I have to disagree with most of the posts here. Gergiev gets Mahler full-on. He has retrieved him from the dangerous tendency to play Mahler too slowly in search of an excesive non-Mahlerian melancholy. Gergiev's Mahler stands square in the tradition of Bruno Walter. The only question for me is whether it Gergiev or Dudamel who is the greatest living exponent of Gustav Mahler's work.

[0GL]

The only Mahler 3 I have heard in which the ending actually has an audible shape, rather than just being a tiresome sequence of roughly the same chords over and over again. 

[josefedward]

It is in my opinion also one of the most un-Mahler-like performances I have heard. I have actually performed this several times, and have never heard it nor performed it this way by anyone but this guy. This reminds me of a college conducting student wanting to perform everything fast - fast - fast. Very amateurish... :(

[99galisteo1]

magnificent

[Invisus944]

lol, I can see it now... "Valery, the youtube users didn't like that one", not that he'd probably care anyway

[martytrombone]

It seems Gergiev had to catch the airplane to another performance.... He really needs a masterclass about Mahler from Mehta, Haitink or Abbado.

[bourreDeLaVie]

An insult to this most spiritually adorned work - robbed of its heavenly glory - and for what? Was this guy in a hurry to go to the loo? Well, it sure is a flushable performance.

[gnrtacos]

Asquerosamente rápido!

[jgesselberty]

The finale to the third has to be the most beautiful collection of notes penned on paper and he makes it sound like a marching band at a football game.

[sVOGUE]

@jgesselberty

sorry, but i can't believe you just compared mahler to a marching band.

[jgesselberty]

@sVOGUE

No. No. No. I compared Gergievs's interpretation of the finale, to a marching band. There is a difference. He robs it of its grandeur as though he was in a hurry for another appontment.

The finale to the 3rd is the most amazing piece of music Mahler may have written.

[jgesselberty]

Exactly what, about the term "adagio" does this hack not understand?

Stick to the Russian repertoire maestro Gergiev.

The finale of the third is possibly the most beautiful collection of notes on paper that has been penned, and he makes it sound like a marching band at a football game.

[katskillkid]

I fully agree with you that this ridiculous fast tempo has taken all the solemnity and grandeur out of this movement...This music must be played S L O W like a spiritual orgasm!

[antoniosergiocunha]

Listen to Abbado with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It really sublime. This one with Gergiev cannot match it.

[Fafner1976]

@antoniosergiocunha Completely agree. I was there at both performances the DVD/Bluray releases are based on, and the athmosphere in the concert hall was simply magic. Imagine 1800 ppl who seem to have stopped breathing, something recordings can't fully tell...

[Fafner1976]

This has to be the ugliest performance of the last Movement I've ever heard. Can't even think to compare this with Abbado/Lucerne...

[imsleepyanddead]

@Fafner1976 My percussionist friend of mine compared it to it sounding like a middle school marching band.

[anubisar2007]

@Fafner1976 I couldnt agree with you more! Its the ugliest performance of that movement ever!

[Tijger2345]

yes, i agree, the last 3 minutes are disappointing, too fast and very unstable tempo

[YP19850409]

The last one minute is too fast.

[mahlermahlermahler1]

I see what karajanhk's sayin about the shostakovich...perhaps just that D-A timpani pound is reminiscent of the 5th.

As for the slow tempo, I thought it was going to be a lot worse than I thought. Not bad at all.

[ThaSchwab]

It's the other way around. MTT on the SFS's Keeping Score program actually demonstrated what the end of the Shosty 5 would sound like if it were in a different key, and it sounded strikingly similar.

[amadeuswebern]

Whatever happened to the music...?

[crescendo518]

i love how the main theme of this movement is so very similar to the beginning of "I'll Be Seeing You"! such a good harmonic structure

[gregapage]

A good interpretation overall but I agree it'd sound better and more epic at a slower tempo.

[boterwisk]

I have at least 56 versions of Mahler 3rd Symphony, and Gergiev's version is so extrange for me, the tempo is so fast, the Gergiev version of Mahler 6th is Great cause is a Symphony that sounds great in fast tempo, but 3rd is better slow

[KendoSaggyknackers]

Heck - in parts he almost makes it resemble a march...

[gengunfire]

The tempo is just far, far too much.

[anthonya13]

3:53, its a hard solo, but i cannot believe the principal trumpet of teh LSO missed that of all people! it happens to the best of us

[karajanhk]

Perfect and refreshing!

Conducting MAHLER in a SHOSTAKOVICH way, I am loving it!

Just listen to the timpani at 7.24,,, WOW, it is just like listening to 4th movement of SHOSTAKOVICH 5th.

[amadeuswebern]

What does Mahler have to do with Shostakovich? This must be the worst interpretation of this music that I have ever heard.

[vasilisparos]

7:24.

[etucker82]

It's certainly fast, but not as fast as all that. Gergiev is obviously not a natural Mahler conductor, but I prefer his weirdness in Mahler to so many of the modernist conductors who try to drain all the Romanticism out of him. This ain't great, but it ain't quite bad either.

[madmailler]

it was amazing until he sped it up about 80 clicks...completely ruined any impression that mahler could have wanted from the piece.

[amadeuswebern]

Totally agree with you.

[Exodia64]

This is a conductor CLEARLY does not understand what and how Mahler should be conducted. This last movement is WAY WAY To fast, takes all the emotion out of this moment. Its like he WANTS to get it over with..I give this performance made by this conductor a -10. I have a LSO Recording with Bernard Hatink which is beautiful and it truly represents what this awesome orchestra is capable of.

[IrishClaudius]

@Exodia64 Very much agree - the textures are good playing good - but subelties of Mahler's s slight changes in harmony and the effect of his marvelious pedal points are lost - this is not Adagio it is Allegro Vivace!!

[ddpsp]

@Exodia64 After reading this comment, I suddenly realized how I've spent far too many hours of my life listening to other people's bullshit. If I add up all the time I've spent listening to people's stupid and self-important opinions, it would equal hundreds if not thousands of hours; hours I could have spent reading a great book, traveling the world, meditating, relaxing, learning a new language, or other useful things. Thank you for opening my eyes. I will live better starting now.

[jdahlen24]

@Exodia64

You said it, brother. Terrible interpretation of this movement. Gergiev is undeniably a great conductor. But he's out of his element in Mahler. Everyone has his/her own favorite interpretation, of course. Mine is Tennstedt with the LPO on EMI. Sure, sure...some questionable intonation in the brass. But as an interpretation, and as a performance as a whole....nothing beats it.

[Aaron741963]

This is WAY too fast. Gergieve kind of takes the emotion out of this movement. There are sooooo many tender moments where you should just absolutely milk it of all it's worth. Gergieve kind of took away the Romance of love. Love doesn't move fast. Love is tender and innocent. Not fast and vigorous. This Movement was titled by Mahler "What love tells me" for a reason, and Gergieve took away that meaning.

[jpowering]

The movement is meant to be fast, hectic, and mildly insane or insane genius even as life would be very short and tragic.

I defend the conductor.

[Aaron741963]

I completely agree with you in the context of the 6th symphony, however it is not the case with this movement. In the score it is marked Broader which normally when that is written it's identified as a slower tempo. Since this movement is nicknamed (by mahler) "What love tells me" it should be probably slow and tender. To be quite honest love is not hectic. The whole movement is labled "Slowly, tranquil, deeply felt" so any tempi not within that reason is too much and Gergiev's done that.

[jpowering]

I am referring to symphony no. 6 and the final movement of which is meant to fast, hectic, and mildly insane or insane genius.

As the conductor ought of exemplify such mad genius in so conducting if not stepping out of bounds for dramatic effect.

[pianist12]

To jpowering- This is the 3rd Symphony not the 6th....Its the 6th mov. of the 3rd.

[me254065]

Ill be seeing you...in all the old familiar places :P what a theme!

[benaheide]

too fast! The end should be grander.

[webrunnerqw]

Exactly!

[jaiobie]

Who are you? Deryck Cooke?

[webrunnerqw]

And you? Stalin?

[jaiobie]

What does Stalin have to do with anything?