Shostakovich 5th symphony, a bit all over the place for me, but worth it for the Allegro non troppo!
I havenāt gotten to the cello concertos that everyone recommended, because I thought Iād try the Bach cello suites first, to get a feel for the āpureā sound of a cello by itself. I know itās 2 weeks later, but it takes time to get used to a new piece, let alone multiple versions of that piece by different artists!
Iāll start with the conclusion, which was that I absolutely loved these suites, so thanks for the recommendation. Youād think that it might get boring listening to one instrument, but the music was inventive and highly listenable (if thatās a word). This was amazing to me, as Iāve almost always listened to orchestral music in the past. The Shostakovich quartets were a revelation to me, and now that Iāve tried unaccompanied cello music, Iāve realized I need to broaden my listening going forward.
I did a search for recommended artists, and I was shocked that a lot of people owned multiple copies of this. I decided to order a bunch from the library and see what I thought. One site I found helpful to narrow down my list was bachcellosuites.co.uk.
I wonāt list all the artists I tried, just the ones I liked the best. Bear in mind that these are all my opinions, and that any impressions I list below could be completely wrong. 
Yo-Yo Maās latest recording, Six Evolutions. This might be the one Iād recommend to someone who was completely new to these pieces because it seemed the most āneutralā of the recordings - the musical equivalent of a Focal Utopia or Stellia, if you like, revealing, yet neutral. Everything about Yo-Yo Maās playing was just right. He plays these at a leisurely pace, but with a sense of rhythm that brings out the melody.
Alisa Weilerstein. This was played at an even more leisurely pace, but I never thought of it as slow. This was surprising to me, because when all other things are equal, I often find myself choosing the artist playing a piece at a faster tempo. Iām easily bored, I suppose. But Weilersteinās had such passion in her playing that I was completely entranced, and I preferred this to Yo-Yo Maās. Using the headphone analogy, this would be a slightly warmer version of neutral, with a bit more character - maybe a Verite?
Jean-Guihen Queyras. Queyras is the ZMF Aeolus of the musicians. I donāt know where they miked his cello, but it sounds like youāre inside the instrument, just enveloped by music and texture. And his cello just seems deeper and richer than the others. His playing was amazing too, and this was possibly my favorite.
Pieter Wispelweyās second recording from 1998. Now Iāve painted myself in a corner with my headphone analogies, because Iām not sure what to use for Wispelwey. This is exciting and idiosyncratic and I loved it, even though his constant banging his cello and loud breathing can get a bit annoying. But then he starts playing again and you lose yourself in the music, and you forget the annoying parts. This was the only recording that made me think āwowā but I certainly wouldnāt recommend it as anyoneās first set, just in case his idiosyncrasies turned them off.
All of these recordings were very different from one another, so I can see why people collect them.
And out of curiosity, I also listened to a violin adaptation of these suites, by Rachel Podger. Iāve loved everything Iāve heard by her, but I lasted 15 minutes and had to turn it off. Her playing was exemplary as usual, but hearing this played on a violin just didnāt sound right to me, after listening to the earthy rich tones of the cello. So I guess Iām now a born again cello fan.
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The cello suites by Sonia Wieder-Atherton here. Really nice just to sit back and soak it up.
Yo-Yo Maā¦ while I guess is kind of perceived as maybe the worlds greatest living cellist but I just find him kind of boring. Not sure if that is a controversial statement or not. Maybe Iāll try a bit more of his work and see if my opinion changes but I have other things to explore musically first.
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Yes, that was what I was expecting too, but from the reviews Iāve read, this was the most interesting (or least uninteresting?) of his 3 recordings of the suites.
Compared to the other musicians, his playing was the least interesting, so from that perspective, I would rather listen to one of the others I listed. But I wish that Iād started with this recording, because it would have made it easier to see what all the other artists brought to the table.
Iāll try Sonia Wieder-Atherton!
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Listening to her on Apple Music, which is the only streaming option I have right now. I like her a lot. She takes the laid back pace of Alisa Weilerstein even further, slowing it down even more, but her playing is very different from Weilerstein. It sounds like every note just flows into the next. Yes, I can see why you would want to sit back and soak it up.
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Thanks for the Mahler recommendations @FLTWS. Iāve been listening to a few different library recordings of #1 and #5 over the past week, but especially #5. Iām also reading the relevant chapter in the book after Iāve done my first listen.
Iāve found that I tend to favor classical recordings that have more energy, or more bite or more speed. Maybe itās my inexperience, where I donāt have the ability to appreciate the added texture when the conductor slows down the tempo. Or maybe I donāt have the patience.
Given that, I wasnāt surprised that I gravitated towards the Chailly/Concertgebouw and Shipway/Royal Philharmonic recordings which both exhibited some fierce brass, preferring them over other recommended releases like Bernstein/Vienna, Solti/Chicago, Gielen, Ivan Fischer. Out of the Chailly and Shipway, I ended up liking the Chailly the best.
And then something weird happened today. Iād listened to the Fischer early on and dismissed it as too light, with no bite. But I did like the Fischer #1 a lot, so I tried his #5 again this afternoon. This didnāt get many good reviews but on my second listen, I found that I really liked it. I can imagine listening to this if Iām in a mellow mood vs the Chailly if Iām feeling more energetic. I think I understand why some reviewers absolutely hated it (because it is very different from all the other recordings I tried) but being ignorant maybe helped, because I didnāt know any better.
Later this evening, I remembered that Iād bought a Mahler #5 CD several decades ago, didnāt like it and shelved it. I found it covered in dust, and was interested to find that it was Sir John Barbirolli conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra, apparently a classic, although I was a little apprehensive that it might be too slow for my taste. Listening to it again, I loved it, and would call it relaxed, rather than slow. The music just flows with a gentle rhythm, and you can immerse yourself in it.
The Barbirolli was definitely my favorite but I enjoyed all three of these. And there were enough differences between all the recordings I tried that I could definitely see someone with different tastes preferring one of the others.
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Barbirolli gets the fiendishly difficult 2nd movement of #5 better than any other version Iāve heard.
One of the things that keeps me fascinated with Mahlerās symphonies is that, more than just about any other composer I can think of, his works can be interpreted in many different ways and still be satisfying and revealing of new insights.
Try Tennstedtās M5, he always seems to bring out horn textures well. Only got to see him conduct once live, a Bruckner 8th many years ago with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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And, by the way, I have all of Fischerās Mahler symphonies except #8 (not sure if he did one but itās my least favorite Mahler symphony and I have enough copies already). And your right about his less intense response to the music but plenty of room for optional interpretations as Iāve said. Donāt know what Fischerās stance is on #10 but itās a favorite of mine even if incomplete and re-touched as Mahler would have done if he had lived long enough to complete and perform it. Simply because it points the way to so much music that followed it. In my minds inner ear it would have been a summary to everything he strove to say all his creative life with his music.
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Itās really interesting that out of all the composers Iāve listened to, I can see the point in collecting different performances of the same Mahler symphony because the interpretations can be so different. And having read a lot of reviews to figure out which CDs to get from the library, I can see why Mahler fans can get so angry when they listen to a new performance and it doesnāt follow the template they happen to like,
The funny thing is the Barbirolli Mahler #5 has been sitting on a shelf for close to 30 years, gathering dust, and I donāt understand why I wouldnāt have liked it. I was predominantly listening to Mozart and Beethoven at the time, but it isnāt that huge a leap in style that I wouldnāt have given it a few listens. I also bought a Barbirolli Mahler #9 at the same time (Iām guessing I had a look at the Penguin guide in Tower Records and bought whatever had a rosette!) so I wonder if my very first ever experience of Mahler was the 9th symphony, and I decided Mahler wasnāt for me and didnāt even try the 5th. In actual fact, I probably wasnāt ready for the 9th.
Anyway, I will not try to test that theory yet. Iāll put the Barbirolli #9 to one side for now and will continue to follow your recommended order (1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6-10) because that seems to be working out so far. 
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Thatās the beauty of Mahler and most mainstream classical composers, its the constant re-discovery of music you thought you knew, something new, over and over.
I can also experience this with Jazz with different takes by different musicians and arrangements on the same music.
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Was/is Mahler a divisive figure in classical music? Is this is just some stilly thing that got imprinted in my head many many years ago, perhaps some random opinion I came across that was never properly filtered?
Ive havent had much time to listen to music over the past month for various reasons so Im living vicariously through posts about music. Mahler is someone I need to explore further. I tend to jump around amongst the classical library rather than delve deeper into the works of one specific composer and I think I may try a more focused approach when I can get back to listening.
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I have a similar preference: give me dynamics, energy, 50 musicians going nuts, or just one putting absolutely everything into their music. I do like slower stuff but Im less forgiving of presentation with it.
Perhaps this is just a stupid bias I have but if you are going to be playing something more liquid or slower or laid back then I better get a feeling that the musicians and so forth are still trying to impart something to the music. Emotional impact is a fine balance, with slower pieces I find it harder to feel that, but when that feeling is created for me than I will often times favour it over something of higher tempo or greater dynamism.
Example: There is a Max Richter composition called Mercy, piano and violin, I have heard a few recordings by different artists but itās only the Hilary Hahn version that has an impact on me. I can listen to it repeatedly without tiring, but its only the only one that works for me. Now, there arenāt that many different recordings of it but I have disregarded them entirely (perhaps Im too mean). Now, if its something more spritely, I find I am much more likely to enjoy various versions/recordings of it.
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I donāt think of Mahler as divisive. But heās relatively recent. Divisive? Hindemith, Phil Glass. 
And by Phil Glass, I mean Phil āone more arpeggio and Iām gonna pukeā Glass.
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Mahler? No more divisive than Beethoven. More of a searching for the way forward and showing how.
Berlioz āSymphonie Fantastiqueā composed only 1830, (3 years after Beethovenās death) and really seems to be another look forward. But to be honest, that and his āHarold in Italyā (1834) are the 2 key works of his that I re- visit regularly. Perhaps also his āRequiemā (1837) also.
Schubert and Schumann thru to Dvorak and Brahms and all in between seem, to me, firmly situated in Beethovenās peak of the Classical / start of the Romantic style.
Mahler, Strauss, Sibelius and Debussy each paved different paths, and on and on with Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and many more. And then thereās Prokofiev, Vaughn-Williams, Shostakovitch; itās impossible for me to get my head wrapped around it all. But these are just my thoughts.
Iām not including opera here as it is not my bread and butter and my likes are pretty narrow, All of my foregoing thoughts can be played in so many different ways too, by others.
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This just goes to show how random influences can be, good and bad. Not sure where I got that notion from, but with occasionally listening to him, and liking some pieces, I didnt come across anything I would find divisive or odd. So I figured Id ask if this impression was correct, it appears not, and Im good with that. Iāll take education over ignorance.
As for Berlioz, this recent Fantastique is quite nice. Well done by Harmonia Mundi.
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I favour the Cello Concertino on this albumover the Sinfonia at the moment.
I have been absent from this thread for a bit, and my overall forum participation has gone down for a number of reasons, so Im glad to see there are still folks occasionally posting here. Im hoping to get back to more regular participation with my classical compatriots.
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Me too. My backlog is probably weeks ā listening-wise. But after my recent HD800S acquisition I would like to work on that moving forward.
As a matter of fact, if there is any HD800S owners out there Iād be willing to hear your recommendations. Iām more a mellow type of listener even though eventually I like to listen more āaggressiveā stuff.
Thanks much.
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Mellow versus Aggressive?
Two excellent collections for a quiet, solo, rainy fall afternoon with your favorite (your choice of beverage here)
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The Elgar Elegy for Strings, Op. 58 is really very nice on this. I often overlook Elgar, and should not.
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Here we go, gentle and aggressive, in parts. Stunning recording and performance. The clarity of textures and explosive bass puts this in my top tier for this work. Just listened to this for the first time earlier today.
Another worth checking out
A much better performance and recording than his first go at it with The London Classical Players, back when he was all wound up in light speed metronome timings.
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