Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 5, 2018

If you’re a classical music fan with a long history with various pieces, you may have the same reaction to some “warhorses” that I frequently do, namely that the first version(s) you heard way back when tend to strike you as the “most correct” (an obviously ridiculous term to utilize, but hopefully you can glean my meaning). I grew up listening to Mahler recordings by both Bruno Walter and Leonard Bernstein, and even when the orchestra that was part of my regular concert attending life as a youth, the Utah Symphony, won the Grand Prix du Disques for their Mahler cycle (beating out Lenny, I might add), that feat didn’t manage to convince me that Maestro Maurice Abravanel’s interpretations were “better than” (or, dare I say it, “equal to”) those of Walter and/or Bernstein. That may strike some (not just Utahns) as heresy, especially since Abravanel actually studied with Walter for a time (as, obviously, did Bernstein), but with that proviso and/or admission of stupidity in mind, I have to say I can admire the Rafael Kubelik Mahler cycle, but it doesn’t always move me the way some of the older Walter and Bernstein recordings do. Those without "another" favorite Mahler conductor could do a lot worse than these Kubelik readings, though, for they're frequently very energetic and appropriately lyrical when required. They are also sonically among the most impressive of any Mahler recordings, with a couple of exceptions as noted in the audio section of the review, below, as might be expected from the venerable engineering gurus at Deutsche Grammophon.

I won't repeat any of my thoughts on the Symphonies themselves, since there have been several previous Mahler releases on Blu-ray where I've gone into perhaps over zealous detail on various elements, but for those interested, there are some brief thoughts of mine in our Mahler: Symphonies 1-10; Totenfeier; Das Lied Von Der Erde Blu-ray review.

Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's really no video component to this release per se, other than a static menu that allows you to see the names of tracks if you wish. The fact that there's only one audio option on this release means it's probably even less necessary than is typical with audio Blu-ray releases to have any kind of monitor or display involved.

Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mahler: 10 Symphonies is presented on audio Blu-ray courtesy Deutsche Grammophon and Universal Music Group with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (96/24). I've heard some fans complain that these DG Kubelik recordings are "too bright", and I can understand the feeling that some highs tend to be a bit strident at times, but what has sometimes bothered me personally is a somewhat "compressed" sound to these recordings where hall ambience isn't as spacious as I personally would have liked, something that tends to make huge movements like the Eighth Symphony's First sound a bit "crowded". There's just the hint of thinness in some of the string sounds, but otherwise I can't imagine many audiophiles having major issues with this release. As tends to be the case with DG recordings, fidelity is excellent across the board, and dynamic range is extremely wide. The Blu-ray audio easily manages the sometimes hyperbolic changes that can attend any given Mahler Symphony, and there are no problems with any age related issues. The performances are a bit variable, and obviously open to nitpicking (why, to cite just one example, does Kubelik take the relatively joyous First Movement of the Fourth Symphony so slowly?), but taken as a whole, this should offer a veritable smorgasbord of sonic delights for Mahler fans.

Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While the Blu-ray disc doesn't offer any supplements, this is a gorgeously packaged release that features a beautiful bound booklet with writing and pictures, and (best of all, at least for some collectors) "mini-LP" jackets reproducing the original look of the LP releases for the CD versions of the symphonies which are also included.

Mahler: 10 Symphonies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If these Rafael Kubelik versions of Mahler's Symphonies are your favorites, I can't imagine you not being over the moon with this nicely packaged release. If you have other favorite Mahler conductors, there are still pleasures to be had in Kubelik's readings, even if some of his choices may strike you as "wrong" (at least when compared to whatever you heard first, that is). The Blu-ray audio faithfully reproduces the original DG sound of these recordings, which some fans have found at least slightly lacking, but which I tend to generally enjoy. Recommended.