Is MTT god?

[Rach3]

...But seriously now... who here has heard Michael Tilson Thomas? I'm just listening to him for the first time... with symphony fantastique... I honestly didn't realize a musician of this caliber could be contemporarily living...

[faulty_damper]

Director of the San Francisco Symphony.  I've never bothered with him.

[Spatula]

Eeeeewwww......San Francisco.   

Now that's one city I'll be reluctant to revisit. 

[Floristan]

MTT was a protege of Leonard Bernstein and, like Bernstein, is given to somwhat flamboyant conducting style -- not as severe as Bernstein, but in that general mode.

Like Bernstein, IMHO, these theatrics appear to serve the music, and MTT, like Bernstein, is a great conductor of Mahler.

Living in SF, I've had the opportunity to hear him perform many times.  His Mahler is sometimes great but always very good.  His Bruckner is quite good as well.  He's good with modern and contemporary repertoire and gives good readings of Mozart and Haydn (though not my favorites).

All in all I think he's an underrated conductor who deserves more credit.

And why the reaction to visiting SF, Spatula???  I'd really be curious to know what causes your "reluctance" to visit.  SF is a favorite destination for a heck of a lot of people, including Canadians, and, outside Vancouver (maybe), it is the most beautiful city on the North American continent.  It's friendly, open, inviting.  Give it a try; you might be pleasantly surprised!

[faulty_damper]

San Fransisco, as you know, is like a huge flame attracting many a flamers.

Many people are homophobic, as you well know.  And Spatula, being a wooden kitchen utensil, is as homophobic as kitchen utensils come.  And "give it a try"?  I doubt kitchen utensils are open to such experimenting.  Maybe he mixes well with the rolling pins, but not the silverware!

[Spatula]

I never jive with the tongs, they got a thing for .... groping.

Then again, I got a thing for scraping...(and spanking)

[Floristan]

San Fransisco, as you know, is like a huge flame attracting many a flamers.

Many people are homophobic, as you well know. And Spatula, being a wooden kitchen utensil, is as homophobic as kitchen utensils come. And "give it a try"? I doubt kitchen utensils are open to such experimenting. Maybe he mixes well with the rolling pins, but not the silverware!

  LOL.  Yes, spanking I'm sure! 

[xvimbi]

Living in SF, I've had the opportunity to hear him perform many times.  His Mahler is sometimes great but always very good. 

All in all I think he's an underrated conductor who deserves more credit.

I've seen MTT a few times in London when he was still primarily with the LSO. Quite acceptable.

BUT, his Mahler is great? Any conductor who does not pull apart the violins in Mahler's 9th so that they sit to the left and the right of the podium is not worth conducting Mahler ever again! I went to SF for that performance and wanted to leave after I saw how the orchestra was seated.

[Floristan]

BUT, his Mahler is great? Any conductor who does not pull apart the violins in Mahler's 9th so that they sit to the left and the right of the podium is not worth conducting Mahler ever again!

You've got a definite point, xvimbi.  Was it Mahler who insisted on this seating arrangement for the violins (I'm just curious as I don't know where it originated, but figured Mahler, since he premiered most of his own work.)

And yes I prefer the split violins also.  I think in spite of this error MTT has a fundamental understanding of Mahler that works for me.  That said, I don't own a single MTT recording of Mahler   I prefer Bernstein, personally.  I'm just standing up a little here for our hometown conductor who is, on the whole, better than his press, IMO.

We're just lucky, in this cultural backwater which is San Francisco, to have a conductor of his caliber at all -- and more importantly to the survival of the symphony, a conductor who can draw the crowds and still program Boulez.   So no, he's not God, but he's saved our symphony from flagging attendance, for which I'm grateful.

[xvimbi]

You've got a definite point, xvimbi.  Was it Mahler who insisted on this seating arrangement for the violins (I'm just curious as I don't know where it originated, but figured Mahler, since he premiered most of his own work.)

It's Mahler's design. Only then can the interplay between the two sections be heard as going back and forth. If they are all sitting together, it will sound as one big wash. Anyway, a conductor once told me that it is sometimes difficult to get things like these done in the US. The orchestras are unionized and usually refuse to do anything that is out of the ordinary (e.g. changing the seating scheme) and not explicitly written in their contracts.

We're just lucky, in this cultural backwater which is San Francisco, to have a conductor of his caliber at all -- and more importantly to the survival of the symphony, a conductor who can draw the crowds and still program Boulez.   So no, he's not God, but he's saved our symphony from flagging attendance, for which I'm grateful.

Don't get me wrong, MTT is OK.
For Mahler, try Eliahu Inbal. That's my all time favorite for the entire cycle.

[Floristan]

Thanks!  I'll give Inbal a try -- have been meaning to for a long time anyway, so here's my motivation!  Do you recommend Inbal equally for all 9 1/2 symphonies, or are there some he does especially well?

[xvimbi]

Thanks!  I'll give Inbal a try -- have been meaning to for a long time anyway, so here's my motivation!  Do you recommend Inbal equally for all 9 1/2 symphonies, or are there some he does especially well?

I think the Inbal cycle is excellent as a set. I am not sure if I want to say what particular symphony stands out. When discussing Mahler Symphonies, there seem to be as many opinions as there are listeners. Also, I have several recordings of the 9th, but I don't have that many recordings of the others (three on average), so I don't feel too qualified to venture a strong opinion.