Mahler Project

"The new recording is a triumph that promises to set the standard for the entire cycle to come.... The orchestra sounds better here than it ever has on disc.... The results are breathtaking."

- San Francisco Chronicle

The SFS and MTT present Mahler's Symphony No. 1, their second recording of the complete Mahler Symphony cycle. This powerful and passionate performance of Mahler's "Titan" follows the universally acclaimed recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 6, which topped the Billboard classical chart within the first week of its release. Recorded during the SFS concerts of September 19-23, 2001, this newest addition to the Mahler cycle captures the live-performance excitement of the Grammy-winning conductor-symphony partnership that the Los Angeles Times has declared "the most exciting Mahler combination anywhere right now."

This disc was recorded using Sony Direct Stream Digital technology and released on the SACD hybrid format, featuring 5.1 channel Super Audio playback. It will play on all current standard CD players, as well as on Super Audio CD players.

Track List:

1. 1st Movement: Langsam. Schleppend.
   (Slow. Dragging.)
2. 2nd Movement: Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell.
   (With powerful movement, but not too fast)
3. 3rd Movement: Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
   (Solemn and measured, without dragging)
4. 4th Movement: Stürmisch bewegt
   (With violent movement)

The SFS and MTT present their first recording of the complete Mahler Symphony cycle. Each of Mahler's nine symphonies is a drama, and Michael Tilson Thomas is among the foremost interpreters of these episodes. Last fall, the SFS and MTT began their five-season project of recording all the Mahler Symphonies and the Adagio from the unfinished Tenth, live.

The first installment is Symphony No. 6. Sometimes called the "Tragic" Symphony, the Sixth shows Mahler at his most devastating, and many think of this music, first heard in 1906, as a prophecy of the horrors of the century to come. This recording was made at the SFS concerts of September 12-15, 2001, immediately following the events of September 11 and captures a passionate response to that day.

This disc was recorded using Sony Direct Stream Digital technology and released on the SACD hybrid format, featuring 4 channel Super Audio playback. It will play on all current standard CD players, as well as on Super Audio CD players. It is also available in the Symphony Store at Davies Symphony Hall and record stores everywhere.

Track List:

Disc 1:

  1.   1st Movement—Allegro energico, ma non troppo.
  2.   2nd Movement—Scherzo: Wuchtig.
  3.   3rd Movement—Andante moderato.

Disc 2:

  4.   4th Movement—Finale: Allegro moderato—Allegro energico.

Listen before you buy. Click on the links below to hear sound samples.

1. Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde                         
2.  Der Einsame im Herbst
3. Von der Jugend
4. Von der Schönheit
5. Der Trunkene im Frühling
6. Der Abschied

 Total Length 63:20

San Francisco Symphony

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

Stuart Skelton, tenor

Thomas Hampson, baritone

"Deeply felt, elegantly molded, stunningly played and recorded, this is one of the finest Mahler recordings to come along in quite awhile... It's hard to imagine any orchestra playing with finer focus and richer expression than you'll hear here..."

- the Dallas Morning News

The SFS and MTT present Mahler Symphony No. 3 and Kindertotenlieder, the third installment of the SFS/MTT Mahler cycle. The Mahler Third, is the most expansive of the composer's symphonies. There are moments of angst here, but the overwhelming message is of love's redeeming power, and the peaks this great work scales are some of the most glorious in all music.

The Mahler Third features mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, Women of the SFS Chorus, the Pacific Boychoir and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Also included in this two-disc set is a recording of Mahler's heartbreaking Kindertotenlieder, with Michelle DeYoung.

San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Vance George, chorus director
Women of the SFS Chorus
Pacific Boychoir
San Francisco Girls Chorus

Recorded live at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
Symphony No. 3 — September 25-29, 2002
Kindertotenlieder — September 19-23, 2001

This disc was recorded using Sony Direct Stream Digital technology and released on the SACD hybrid format, featuring 5.1 channel Super Audio playback. It will play on all current standard CD players, as well as on Super Audio CD players.

Track List:

Disc 1:
 

1. Part I: Introduction: 1st Movement. Kräftig, entschieden.
2. Part II: 2nd Movement. Tempo di menuetto. Sehr Mässig.
3. Part II: 3rd Movement. Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast.

Disc 2:
 

1. Part II: 4th Movement. Sehr langsam. Misterioso.
2. Part II: 5th Movement. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck.
3. Part II: 6th Movement. Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden.
4. Kindertotenlieder: Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
5. Kindertotenlieder: Nun seh' ich wohl
6. Kindertotenlieder: Wenn dein Mütterlein tritt zur Tür herein
7. Kindertotenlieder: Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen
8. Kindertotenlieder: In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus