Featured Musician: A Maazel Celebration

The discs under consideration here.

Jeremy Lee writes

Maazel’s Verdi Requiem: A Moving Valediction

Jeremy Lee writes

Lorin Maazel died on July 13, 2014, and upon his death the musical world mourned at the loss of one of the few remaining “conducting firebrands”:  an extremely gifted and technically secure conductor whose musicality and personality often polarized listeners, especially during his later years.  A frustratingly variable conductor at times, when he was on he could deliver

Maazel’s Raw, Vital Vienna Sibelius

Jeremy Lee writes

Maazel recorded many works with the Vienna Philharmonic, including symphony cycles of Mahler and Tchaikovsky, but one of the best recordings that came out of that partnership was this, a Sibelius cycle dating from the 1960s, both Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic’s first

Obituary: Lorin Maazel (1930-2014)

Veteran conductor and former child prodigy Lorin Maazel has died aged 84 from complications of pneumonia.

Maazel was born in France to Jewish American parents and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He made his conducting debut at age 8 and conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra at age 11.  He has served in the capacity of

Maazel’s Mahler Fourth: A True Winner

Jeremy Lee writes

“They don’t like Mahler,” Lorin Maazel was reported as saying, and he really seemed to have a point, because the Vienna Philharmonic by reputation was never a really willing Mahler orchestra, legendary though some of their Mahler recordings were.  (Even Bernstein had to resort to browbeating to make

Gergiev to become new Munich director

Breaking news:  It has been announced yesterday that Valery Gergiev will succeed the incumbent Lorin Maazel in 2015 as the new music director of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.  Gergiev’s initial contract with the MPhil will extend to 2020.  Further details can be viewed here.

We thought that this was

Maazel to replace Muti on CSO Asia Tour

To all our Hong Kong readers:  Top Ear has received news that Lorin Maazel will be replacing an indisposed Riccardo Muti on the upcoming Chicago Symphony Orchestra Asia Tour.  It has been confirmed that Maestro Maazel will substitute for Maestro Muti for the two concerts in

Maazel Massacres Mahler 3

Jeremy Lee writes

Before I start my verdict, I’d like you to read Maazel’s own words on what he believes Mahler 3 is.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/mahlers-symphony-no-3-by-lorin-maazel

Read that?  I have to say, hand on heart, that I couldn’t agree more with Maazel.  According to him, Mahler’s massive 3^rd symphony is full of the sounds of nature and lots of