| | |  | WORLD MUSIC | Home » » Gustav Mahler: Conducting Mahler/I Have Lost Touch With the World | | | | | | | Description: | | This film from director Frank Scheffer, documents the interpretations of Mahler's compositions by conductor Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Simon Rattle. The second film is based on Mahler's 9th Symphony. Chailly an | | | Product Details: | | | Format:
| Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English, French, German, Spanish | | Subtitle:
| English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Juxtapositions | | Run Time:
| 132 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| October 18, 2005 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 15 reviews |
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130 of 134 found the following review helpful:
 Two Intense and Stirring Films about Mahler's MusicNov 14, 2005
By J Scott Morrison
I will admit that I'm a musician groupie. I love little more than to sit in on a rehearsal, and have done so for forty years or more with regularity. I particularly like being close enough that I can observe the orchestral musicians and overhear what the conductor is saying to them, see how the works are put together. This process makes the ensuing performance all the more interesting for me. Thus, I found these two documentaries about Mahler's music, made by the distinguished Dutch music documentarian Frank Scheffer, intensely interesting.
There are two films here. The first, 'Conducting Mahler,' features long segments showing several eminent Mahler conductors -- Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink and Simon Rattle -- rehearsing the likes of the Royal Concertgebouw, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, in long, lovely passages from all the Mahler symphonies (plus some of 'Das Lied von der Erde') interspersed with interviews (with the noted music writer, Donald Mitchell) with all five of the conductors. Not only is the music-making first class, but the insights that the conductors bring to the process, both in their conducting and in their thoughts about Mahler and his music, are exceedingly stimulating. (It should be noted, by the way, that the interviews are conducted in English and each of the conductors is enormously articulate.) The DVD is divided into a number of 'chapters' (although the documentary plays without pause) such as 'Mahler and the Concertgebouw' (the film was made mostly at the 1995 Mahler Festival held by the Concertgebouw which was, of course, the first orchestra outside Vienna to program Mahler's music with any regularity owing to the enthusiasm of Willem Mengelberg), 'The Interpretation of the Conductors,' 'The Modernity of Mahler,' 'The Ideas Behind the Notes,' 'The Sound of an Empire at the End,' 'Vienna at the Turn of the Century' and so on.
The second film, entitled 'I Have Lost Touch With the World' (the Englished title of Mahler's heart-wrenching song 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' from the 'Rückert Lieder') is about Mahler's Ninth Symphony, his last completed symphony. It features Riccardo Chailly rehearsing the Concertgebouw. There is almost constant music -- sometimes showing the orchestra playing or, more often, Chailly conducting and commenting to the players, and sometimes with voice-over while the music continues underneath. There are extensive and extremely insightful commentaries concerning all four movements from Henry-Louis de la Grange, Mahler's definitive biographer, a man who probably knows more about the composer than anyone, and from Chailly. There are snippets from other works, including a large part of a performance, unusually with a baritone (Thomas Hampson), of the 'Abschied' from 'Das Lied von der Erde.' (For me, at the end of that performance the earth stood still.) Fully ten minutes of the fourth movement is played without interruption (in a dress rehearsal with audience) and I found myself in tears at its conclusion. There is a reference after that to the impending departure of Chailly from the musical directorship of the orchestra after sixteen years; the film was made in 2004 and he has since been succeeded by Mariss Jansons.
Scheffer is a marvelous documentarian. Although the camerawork is fairly active, the focus is primarily, in both films, on the conductors and the music. Sound is magnificent, particularly in the more recent film. It is in Dolby Digital 2.0. Subtitles in English, German, French, Dutch and Spanish are provided. Total time for both films is 132 minutes.
I heartily recommend this DVD to anyone with even a smidgen of interest in Mahler or in rehearsal technique in general. These are superior films.
Scott Morrison
38 of 38 found the following review helpful:
WHAT CLASSICAL MUSIC DVDS SHOULD BE LIKEMay 10, 2007
By Klingsor Tristan
These two Frank Scheffer documentaries really bring home what works best for classical music on DVD. Videoed concerts, to my mind, seldom add much to the experience of audio only and are certainly no substitute for the real live experience - we are always too much at the director's whim for close-ups of puffing or sawing musicians or of every pore on a rapt conductor's face. Opera works better, but again, the constricted format is no substitute for the real thing and in the opera house (as in the concert hall) one's eyes move subconsciously all over the place, constantly taking in different elements of the hall, the performers and the performance.
Both these documentaries include a high proportion of concert performances of the Mahler symphonies, but it is all directed to a different end. The first, Conducting Mahler, is about exactly what it says on the tin. It is about the views of five eminent Mahler conductors on their craft and on the facets of the composer and his music that they look to elucidate in their performances. And their views are illustrated by substantial excerpts from live renditions of all the Mahler symphonies with three of the orchestras that the composer himself knew well, all given at the Mahler Festival in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw in 1995. What makes these performance extracts different from the usual filmed concert is that they remain fixed for practically the whole time on the conductor's face - no extraneous cutting about the various instrumentalists, no views of architecture of the hall. If I have one quibble with the film it is that these close-ups are just a bit too tight: all we really see are the conductors' faces and we get no real chance to watch their stick technique to see how they beat what are often quite complicated rhythmic structures, how they employ rubato or how they communicate Mahler's frequent abrupt changes of tempo and time signature. A shame, because in all other respects this is a fascinating documentary, really enhancing our knowledge of Mahler and his music as well as of the conductors and their different approaches to him.
The second documentary, I Have Lost Touch with the World (an evocative translation of the title of Mahler's Ruckert song, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen), employs very much the same visual techniques to a different end. Here we are exploring Mahler, the man and the composer, principally through his Ninth Symphony. Riccardo Chailly in his farewell performance as principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra gets the lion's share here - along with Mahler's main biographer, Henri-Louis de la Grange, a man who probably knows more about his subject than anyone living and who is particularly articulate in knocking down some of the hoary old shibboleths that have built up around Mahler. Here, too, Scheff allows the music to speak as loudly as the commentators in elaborating his thesis. This is admirably non-interventionist film-making, even though it has strong, profound, fascinating and sometimes controversial things to say about its subject.
I really do feel that this is a much more fertile use of video to elucidate classic music than the usual fare we get. One would like to see much more of its ilk. In the meantime, this pair of excellent films on one disc comes highly recommended.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Once in a lifetimeFeb 27, 2008
By Larkenfield
I was fascinated and enthralled. How many opportunities does one get in a lifetime to hear 5 world-class conductors expand eloquently in a completely relaxed setting on how they first came to Mahler, understand Mahler and interpret Mahler? Just the idea behind it was worth 5 stars.
As for myself, I love the close-up visuals on Haitink, Chailly and others regardless of whether I could see the full movement of their hands while conducting. I can see them as the orchestra sees them and how much they conduct with their facial expressions as well as their gestures, especially by staying fixed upon their faces during the extended excerpts from the various symphonies -- and not without capturing the humor as well. I was riveted to my chair. The visuals of Addado were more full-bodied -- what expressive hands -- because he conducts less with his face, imo, than the others.
Upon repeated viewings I found it easier to associate each conductor's name with their distinctive face. If in doubt about who's who, it made this listener want to find out more about each one, and I must say that I developed enormous respect for them all.
The sonics are absolutely vivid and first-rate. I would love to have been at this once-in-a-lifetime festival. (Maybe in another 75 years!) You can hear everything. I could easily imagine a youngster watching these performances and not only falling in love with Mahler but with the life and sensibilities of such a rare breed of human being as an orchestral conductor -- perfect for the classroom, perfect for anyone who loves classical music and the additional impact that comes from watching these performances as well as being profoundly touched and amazed by the music. I plan on watching more dvd performances.
Also of value is that I felt stimulated to reexamine the recordings by these superbly articulate musicians in a new light now that I understand more of what's behind their interpretations of the Mahler universe. It's evident the impact the composer has had on them as conductors and in life.
Here is a superb glimpse into the creative process on all levels, from the front line of being a composing genius... to the genius necessary to bring Mahler to life. While there are some photographic omissions or lapses, the perfection of the recorded sound, the interviews and performances are superb. Recommended.
NOTE: After doing a bit of research, I found out what I wanted to know: there is a 16-CD box set of these tremendous 1995 "Mahler Feest" recordings that are available... to the 3000 media Radio Partners of Radio Netherlands Music. I'm glad to know a set was somehow produced so the Mahler lovers who were unable to attend the festival will have the chance to immerse themselves in -- judging from the excerpts -- these presumably fine performances. However, I regret that private individuals will never be able to purchase a set for their own collections.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Some rather good and some not so goodFeb 03, 2009
By Philippe Vandenbroeck
This DVD features two documentary movies that focus on the music of Gustav Mahler. In the first, film maker Frank Scheffer took the 1995 Mahler festival in Amsterdam as an opportunity to observe and listen to five different conductors during their rehearsals for the festival performances. The result of that effort is, on the whole, illuminating and a pleasure to look at. What is perhaps most interesting is not what these conductors have to say about Mahler's music, but the differences in their intellectual and musical approaches. The most intellectually articulate conductor amongst the five is Riccardo Chailly, then chief-conductor with the Amsterdam-based Concertgebouw Orchestra (hosting the festival). His is clearly a very analytical mind that is able to weave musical, biographical and broadly cultural elements in an encompassing vision on Mahler's work. For example, I found his discussion on Mahler's Eight - focusing on the belcanto elements in the score - imaginative and plausible.
His countryman Claudio Abbado is very much his opposite. Scheffer's interview with Abbado yields no startling revelations at all. The conductor sticks to very general, even bland assertions. But Abbado does this in a exceedingly modest, almost shy manner which is oddly attractive. And what a difference when he is on stage! Scheffer's close ups of the conductors in rehearsal not only make visual sense but they also reveal something very intimate about these people's experiences of the music. Abbado appears enormously focused and authoritative (without in the least being authoritarian). Clearly he has fully internalised this music and is able to transmit that vision to the musicians with startling economy of words.
The third Italian is Riccardo Muti, who is not obviously known as one of the great contemporary Mahler conductors. Nevertheless, his brief insights on Mahler's Fourth symphony - the only work he conducted at the festival - are very articulate and certainly put the work in a new light to me.
On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed by Bernard Haitink's contribution. As longstanding conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and a respected Mahler-interpreter he played an important role at the event, conducting the Second, Sixth symphonies, Das Lied and the Adagio of the Tenth. It seemed to me Haitink is more of a technician who has a very down to earth conception of Mahler and his music. It's much more rewarding to hear him conduct a Mahler symphony than to listen to him talking about it.
Simon Rattle, still quite young in 1995, filled the final gap with Mahler's Seventh. To be frank, I have never fallen for Rattle's conception of Mahler and his appearance in the movie is thankfully brief. The few shots of Rattle in rehearsal do, however, transmit something of the energy he brings on stage (but that doesn't make me like his performances any better). On the whole this is a welcome, speedy traversal of Mahler's (almost) complete output in the sumptuous setting of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and with top orchestras and conductors to guide us. I certainly enjoyed that.
The second film - "I have lost touched with the world" - is rather less rewarding. And that's a pity as it deals with one of Mahler's most visionary works, his Ninth symphony. The whole movie looks a bit like an afterthought to me. Scheffer put it together on the occasion of Chailly's valedictory performance with his Concertgebouw Orchestra. Chailly's survey of this work is rather hurried, offering some startling insights along the way (I never noticed the Kindertotenlieder quote on the very final page of the Adagio). The trouble is that Scheffer found it necessary to have Mahler's chief contemporary biographer - Henry-Louis de la Grange - comment on each of the symphony's individual movements. de la Grange is very much entrenched in the biographical school, linking each element in the score to actual circumstances in the composer's life. I think this leads to a very speculative and superficial conception of the music. For example, the assertion that with the Ninth's Scherzo Mahler wanted to provide a riposte to his critics, is not convincing and doesn't help us to understand this music any better at all. Chailly is much more nuanced here. For example, regarding the Kindertotenlieder quote in the Finale, he holds that this helps us to capture the mood of these final pages rather than that it links back to a specific event in Mahler's life. I can buy into that. So I could have done with a lot more Chailly and much less de la Grange talking about this work. At the end of the film, we hear Chailly cast his mind back on his years with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and his assessment is surprisingly candid. Apparently their time together had not been without friction. Sadly Scheffer doesn't dig deeper into that. On the whole this movie didn't make a big impression on me. A little bit of a missed opportunity.
Four stars for "Conducting Mahler" and two stars for "I have lost touch with the world ".
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Gustav Mahler: a remarkable genius we still learn fromJul 28, 2008
By Mr John Haueisen
I can't improve on the excellent review by Scott Morrison other than to suggest that this is just the DVD for those who like to attend concert rehearsals, those who enjoy enlightened discussions of music, or simply those who love everything Mahler.
The first of these Frank Scheffer films steps into the world of concert rehearsals of conductors who really enjoy interpreting and better-understanding the works of Mahler. We see Bernard Haitink's occasionaly jerky, brusque, and sometimes even jovial conducting, and later we hear Simon Rattle tell of his first Mahler experience as a ten-year-old: his friends could tell he was a changed lad.
The second half features Ricardo Chailly and renowned Mahler scholar, Henry-Louis de La Grange, as they analyze Mahler's music with special attention to the ninth symphony. I don't think I'm spoiling anything to state that de La Grange argues forcefully against those who would suggest that Mahler was neurotic. Certainly no one who could survive a decade at the helm of the Vienna Opera, while at the same time writing some of the most inventive and evocative music ever--such a man was truly remarkable--and that's what this film is about. We're still learning from Mahler today.
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