Here’s just a brief chat on conductor Kurt Sanderling, a somewhat shadowy figure whose remarkable recordings of composers such as Mahler, Brahms and Shostakovich sustain his reputation among record collectors, but whose larger discography (to the extent you can find it) reveals some very inconsistent work too.
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Hey Dave didn’t Sanderling do the 4th as part of the Leningrad mono cycle on DG?
When Dave in his thumbnail pic holds up a set I actually have, I have to click right away. A friend of mine hipped me to this set and I somehow ended up with two copies. I've pared it down to one. It is, indeed, an A-1 set.
His Mahler 10 is terrific, and the dissonance in the first movement is pure horror.
I must also say that I admire those kappellmeisters, they knew their music, and were great accompanists (and opera conductors), even if they could be a bit dull sometimes: Suitner, Stein, Leitner… Sawallisch was probably the last one, and the tradition died with him.
The Brahms box is on Tower records/Denon Licensed by Ariola-Eurodisc (SACD).
Apparently the Brahms is still available on Amazon for a reasonable price (especially used.) i like Sanderling very much and enjoyed his Shostakovich and Sibelius as well.
Hello Dave!
I would like to ask you to consider to make a talk about Wolfgang Sawallisch's recordings.
Best wishes Fred from Kristianstad.
I bought that Eurodisc Brahms cycle around 20 years ago at a Borders Book Store (remember those) for $7.99. One of the best classical music purchases I ever made.
What do you think of his late Mahler?
Did Sanderling do more than one Brahms cycle with the Staats? If not, it appears to be on Spotify. Gave the 1st mov/Sym1 a listen and it sounds wonderful. Sonically impressive. And that stately opening with solid full timpani, wall o' strings is magnificent. Love the way he really exploits the dynamics of the orchestra but not so much that the piano is inaudible and the forte is harsh. I guess what I mean is well balanced.
For the DG mono Tchaikovsky 4, 5 and 6, Sanderling did No. 4 and yes it is not a patch on Mravinsky's stereo remake.
Thank you. I was fortunate to be in Los Angeles in the early 90's when he would frequently conduct the Philharmonic. I still remember above all from him, shattering volumes in the climaxes of the first movement of the Shostakovich 8th, and a Das Lied, with an also shattering conclusion of the long orchestra-only passage in the Abschied, with trombones and tubas blaring at unbelievable levels. Drenching, numbing
In case there is interest in Sanderling's opera performances, I uploaded Sanderling's Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni on one of my other channels. At the point I uploaded them, it wasn't certain that the Don Giovanni had ever been published.
Thanks, Dave, for another of your excellent discussions.
RCA is currently selling a Staatskapelle Dresden Kurt Sanderling Brahms cycle with haydn variations and tragic overture, catalogue G010001371388Q is this the same performance as the eurodisk set? The timings for the tracks are within a few seconds of the denon release….
That is a very useful advice. I have come to love his Shostakovich and Uchida Beethoven. SO that keep sme safe from buying more 🙂 and teh Brahms cycle is available for download. And so is poulenc and Zuzana Ruzickova which I now have. Listening to the Brahms and it is everything expected. it just feel right like the Shostakovich 5 does. It is just there to enjoy and listen to without any ado. It is now side by side with Walter cycle.
The cycle with the dresden staatskapelle is available for streaming on spotify for those who do streaming and are curious
Just heard the Brahms 2nd and 3rd – very lyrical and great brass – just lets Brahms breathe
I like very much his Haydn Paris cycle
I've always been a little disappointed with Kurt Sanderling's records….not because of the conductor but because of the technique….a complete rachmaninoff symphony on everest records in a deplorable sound (artificial stereo) had disappointed me …. like his complete 9 beethoven symphonies in the early 80s on emi with the philarmonia orchestra (sponsored by the dumaurier cigarette company) which was disappointing apart from a ninth a little more lively and a take its global ''digital'' without timbre, amorphous. (never reissued on cd to my knowledge)
It's right that you put the Dresden Brahms cycle at the forefront of this 'mini' overview – indeed, it represents what is possibly Sanderling's finest achievement in the recording studio. What is so frustrating is that like with so many other wonderful recordings, we are confronted with the troublesome 'non-available' issue. I think I'm right in saying that Sanderling's Dresden Brahms cycle is generally only available as downloads, though it may be possible to locate physical product copies (second hand?), somewhere on the internet (though probably at exorbitant prices!). I'm fortunate to own what was a very cheap box set manifestation on the RCA Classical Navigator label – minimal packaging with an image of a ship on the front box cover (a conductor navigates, right!). The fact remains that the music sounds superb under Sanderling's expert guidance, and that is the main thing. I'm also very fond of Sanderling's Sibelius cycle (a real sleeper), and his Mahler (shame he was denied a full cycle). Thanks Dave for your continuing insights, wit and joyful enthusiasm – this has helped me enormously throughout the pandemic and beyond, and for this I am eternally grateful. All the best.
Guilty Pleasure — I like Sanderling's Haydn "Paris symphonies." Big, bold and rich.
Thank you Dave. I am continually amazed at how much I am learning from your channel every single day!!
for info: Sanderling did do another Brahms symphony cycle with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, originally on Capriccio label
I have this Brahms set! ‘Been awhile since I’ve listened to it so I’ll have to go back and listen to some of it.
I really appreciate this brief overview Dave. Most of us old timers know our Sanderling, but your overview I hope will inspire the younger folks to explore and enjoy. Sanderling is definitely a conductor that should never just fade away once us old timers have kicked the bucket. He needs to be enjoyed by the younger folks as well. Thanks for doing this!
I only own a couple of Sanderling items—his Sibelius cycle (with the Berlin SO) and his Philharmonia Mahler 9. His Sibelius set is a bit Kapellmeister-ish, but quite good; I enjoy listening to it. His British Mahler 9 (originally on Erato) is, in my opinion, a total dud—a mere workaday run-through
Really surprised with how good his Sibelius cycle was
I refreshed my memory of that K. Sanderling Brahms cycle late last year, it was every bit as phenomenal as I remembered
Thank you Christopher for your endorsement. Sanderling's success reminds me that Lorin Maazel galvanised wonderful results with the Vienna Philharmonic when he came to record Sibelius' cycle in the 1960s for Decca. German and Austrian orchestras were not known for performing/recording Sibelius to any great degree (Karajan/BPO excepted), and so the Sanderling and Maazel cycles can be appreciated as major, refreshing and rather unexpected achievements, in my opinion.
I remember also Sanderling's brief tenure, post Giulini, in Los Angeles where he charmed both the orchestra and audiences. Word from some LA Phil players at the time was that he was offered the Music Directorship but declined due to his age. (The position eventually went to Previn.) His ancient Leningrad recordings to my ears show him at his imaginative best although none are stereo, and must be culled from various defunct sources such as Monitor, Westminster, and Everest. Some lps give his name as "Zanderling." For example, Everest released a box set in the mid 70s of Zanderling conducting the three Rachmaninoff symphonies in Leningrad. Of course, with Everest one might suspect the provenance of these performances, but Symphony 1 is the well-known studio version recorded by Melodiya, and 2 and 3 are live performances with amazing flexibility, color, and excitement.
Those Brahms Symphonies on Eurodisc are truly wonderful, and for just the reasons you describe!