No need to linger here. Several versions of Mitropoulos’ impulsive way with Mahler’s First survive: his hysterically neurotic, poorly played, badly recorded Minneapolis studio recording for Sony (last available on Masterworks Heritage), and at least three others captured live, all of which feature better playing and a more controlled (if no less exciting) conception of the piece. The best of these versions dates from the New York Philharmonic’s 1960 Mahler Festival, and is available in eminently listenable sound on Music and Arts. This 1951 version offers exactly the same overall conception, with the same orchestra as the later version, in substantially inferior sound. And that’s all you need to know. If you want a Mitropoulos Mahler 1 (and all of his better Mahler performances are certainly worth exploring if you’re a committed collector), 1960’s the one to have.
