engineers) highlight the woodwinds in a way that point out the otherworldliness in the "Abschied," while the strings continually bring us back to earth. Placido Domingo is very good in an operatic way. He was never a "high note" tenor, so it isn't surprising that he strains a bit, but the tone is big and full and he sings off the words. Only Fritz Wunderlich seems to have had the ease of production as well as the focus to feel absolutely comfortable with the three tenor songs. The real problem here is baritone Bo Skovhus. Not only is his voice so light that it sounds tenorial at first, but he barely touches the low notes and has nowhere near the depth of either voice or interest to make the final song (taken quite quickly by Salonen, probably in an effo...  (less)

change any minds, but even naysayers will appreciate its strong points, among which mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana is by far the strongest. The voice itself is pliant, warm, expressive, and in the final "Abschied," Mahler's moving farewell to life, Urmana erases memories of most of her recorded predecessors. Tenor Michael Schade's bright, ringing tenor cuts through the orchestra, albeit with a misguided attempt to color and highlight even the words best sung simply. Boulez's attention to detail and the Vienna Philharmonic's masterly playing are other pluses. But the emotional core of the music is missing; Boulez gives us the music but not the emotions it should convey, resulting in a Lied that's alienated from itself. ...  (less)

admission, the piece synthesizes song and Symphony and draws on poems about the cycle of life and death from Hans Bethge's The Chinese Flute adapted by Mahler and combined with lines of his own invention. This recording features Echo-Klassik award-winning baritone Christian Gerhaher as well as newly emerging tenor Klaus Florian Vogt. Nagano is currently the Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. He was also the first Music Director for the Los Angeles Opera.  (less)