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Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 9 in D major Bruno Walter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Recorded 1938) VIP Records CL-1005 - $12.50 (US Shipping Including) 
 Fate rarely allows us the luxury of being able to witness significant moments in history. We learn about them from books written in the past tense, or from passed down accounts of people who lived through turbulent times. But one of the greatest things about historical recordings is the ability to capture a moment in time... the proper combination of circumstances can result in a crystal-clear document of history that no description in a book can match. Such is the case with Bruno Walter's magnificent recording of Gustav Mahler's 9th Symphony, recorded in 1938. 
Few recordings have more interesting back-stories than this one has... The story begins in the first few years of the 20th century, when Bruno Walter was serving as an assistant to Gustav Mahler, who was conducting at the Court Opera in Vienna. Mahler's influence on Walter was profound, and working along side him in his native city of Vienna formed the foundation for Walter's future career as a conductor. In 1909 at the age of 49, Mahler was diagnosed with a heart condition, and the anticipation of death became an important theme in the symphony he was working on at the time. Mahler had not named his previous symphonic work, Das Lied von der Erde as his 9th symphony because of the superstition that the 9th would be his last, as it had been for Beethoven, Schubert and Bruckner. But this time, he embraced the number as being fitting, and it did end up being his last symphony.In 1910, with his health failing, Mahler entrusted the score of his 9th Symphony to Bruno Walter. He knew he would not live to conduct its premiere. He died the following year, and Walter performed it for the first time in June of 1912. Walter felt a lifelong closeness with the work, and was quoted as saying, "Der Abschied might well have been used as the title of the ninth symphony... The first movement grows to a tragically moving and noble paraphrase of a farewell feeling... a unique soaring between farewell sadness and a vision of Heavenly light." In 1938, representatives from His Master's Voice were eager to record Mahler's masterpiece for the first time. Arrangements were made to install microphones and tandem cutting lathes in the Vienna Musikvereinssaal, so a complete performance could be captured. Rehearsals were monitored to perfect the timing of the alternation between the two cutting lathes. A slight overlap at the beginning and end of each side was allowed so the work could be recorded in one long extended take at a live public performance. Walter was conducting Mahler's own orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic. Many of its older members had been a part of the orchestra under the composer's baton and had performed at the premiere of the Ninth Symphony under Walter twenty-five years earlier. There was a strong sense of occasion- all elements were in place for a truly remarkable recording. 
But that wasn't the only feeling in the air that cold January morning in 1938... The Nazis were on the move, and it was evident that very soon, Austria would fall under their control. Walter, whose Jewish ancestry had resulted in his expulsion from his conducting post in Berlin five years earlier, was performing the work of another Jew, Gustav Mahler. It was clearly understood by all involved that this might be the last time they would be able to peform this work in Vienna. 
Walter and the members of the orchestra poured their heart and soul into the performance, taking the emotional histrionics of Mahler's music and giving it context within the political climate of the day. Mahler's bittersweet music became a chilling farewell to Vienna's musical past. A new, more brutal chapter was waiting in the wings, poised to sweep aside everything that Viennese musicians had always cherished. From the opening notes, with the irregular rhythm that is said to have been inspired by the beating of Mahler's damaged heart, to the poignant adagio that caps the work, Walter maintained a rapt vision of great power and lyrical beauty. This recording has been cited by numerous critics as one of the greatest achievements of the gramophone.A couple of short weeks after this recording was made, the Nazis entered Austria. Bruno Walter and most of the first desk musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic were forced to flee the country. Overnight, Mahler's great orchestra had become a twisted shadow of its former self. The Nazis branded Mahler's music as "decadent art", and forbade its performance. Vienna, once the heart of European music, would never be the same again. Walter's recording was the eloquent document of a sad farewell to a way of life. This recording has been previously released in two major CD releases... The first one, although smooth sounding, was filtered quite a bit in the high and low frequencies, and the thin sound didn't do justice to the sonics of the original records. The second release sounded much better, but it involved more interventionist restoration than I personally care for. In my transfer, I have tried to remove noise without affecting the balance of the sound as it appears on the original records. All 20 sides in the set were transferred using the same settings, and no gain riding or creative sweetening was applied. My intent is to present the recording exactly as it was recorded by His Master's Voice on that historic January morning in 1938. I hope you appreciate this recording as much as I do. -Stephen Worth
These CDs are $12.50 apiece. Shipping within the US is included. Shipping to Canada is an additional $2.50 for the first CD, and $1 for each additional CD shipped with the same order. International shipping is an additional $5.00 for the first CD, and $2 for each additional CD shipped with the same order. You can order online, using our secure PayPal links. If you don't have a PayPal account yet, sign up now using the link to the left, and you will get a $5 from PayPal for signing up. If you would prefer to send a check or money order by mail, drop me a line at... sales@vintageip.com and I will send you an order form that you can print out and mail in. 
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