Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn

This recording has been praised since it was originally issued in the 1960s as one of the finest performances of Mahler's colorful piece. Your own reaction to it will depend on how you feel about Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's utter inability to let the words of a song speak for themselves. The tests are folk poems, and simplicity of delivery is essential. Both singers here have a hard time resisting the urge to interpret, and the result comes dangerously close to parody in places. However, there's no denying the excellence of the singing as such, but for my money, the disc is worth owning just for the quality of George Szell's accompaniments, which are simply superb. --David Hurwitz