Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD]

a disappointing 'Tragic'

Well, the recorded competition to this new Gergiev 'Tragic' is just too strong to allow a positive review. About the same time of release came Haitink's live recording with the Chicago Symphony. A direct comparison leaves a clear preference, Haitink! To my thinking, this symphony requires a conductor with a grand sense of architectural structure. Gergiev's release sounds like a fleet-footed run through compared to Haitink. The distant sound stage provided by his engineers certainly didn't help reveal Mahler's detailed musical fabric. A disappointing start to the LSO's new Mahler cycle.
So I would recommend the budget Levi on Telarc or Karajan on DG for best of show. Mitropoulos 1960 NY Philharmonic radio check is the best historic release. August 24, 2008

Powerful view of Mahler the visionary, not the late romantic.

This is a well recorded account showing 3 things; the mastery of LSO, it's conductor, Russian, Valery Gergiev, and most importantly the genius of Gustav Mahler. Valery Gergiev takes the first movement with such force that it sounds as if Mahler was beside Shostokovitch in the war years in Russia. The piece itself has a dark quality that is not lost in this fast interpertation, which to my ears, works extremely well. The second movement, Adante, is played extremely well, providing a emotional relief from the first movement. The last two movements are played equally well and sound great in this hall that so many have made complaint's about it bad acoustics. recommended July 26, 2008

LIVE, ALIVE-O

This recording is from a series entitled `LSO Live', and the first thing to be clear about is what this terminology denotes. All my life I have used and heard the expression `live performance' in the sense of a performance given in the presence of an audience or at least broadcast unrecorded. The blurb on the back of the leaflet promises us `energy and emotion that you can only experience live in the concert hall', and indeed this account of the Mahler 6th was given in a concert hall, specifically London's Barbican Centre. However a `live performance' in what I regard as the legitimate sense it ain't. There is no audience - you can tell from the acoustic. Also the date of the recording is stated only as `November 2007', which says to me that it was a matter of multiple takes on more than one day. This is no more `live' than if it had been recorded in a recognised recording location like Walthamstow Town Hall, and if it had been done there the acoustic would have been better than the dryish Barbican sound.

That said, this is still a distinguished issue. The virtues of Gergiev's account are the kind of virtues that I associate with Boulez more than with Rattle as a Mahler interpreter - strength, impetus and clarity rather than flexibility, neurosis and the composer's damaged heart worn on his sleeve. Of all the Mahler series the 6th probably lends itself most to the Gergiev approach, but I should confess right away that in my own attitude to Mahler I am in general a Rattler. It is only necessary to look through the other reviews on this site to appreciate that experienced and sensitive listeners to Mahler entertain highly divergent expectations from a performance of this symphony, so it is only to be expected that aspects that appeal to or do not attract me will not follow criteria shared by everyone. Among the Mahler symphonies, the 6th seems to me to approach nearest to Shostakovich in mood and expression, so there is a lot to be said for the tempi, unhurried but not dragged either, that Gergiev adopts. As I have already hinted, Rattle-style rubato is not Gergiev's way, and I am quite comfortable with this as part of a clear and thought-through overall concept. As for the sound in general, well, I'm glad this is the 6th and not the 5th. It lacks for nothing in clarity, but I would have liked a little more richness, at least when played on cd equipment. Oddly, the passages in the finale that almost resemble Strauss fare comparatively well in terms of sound: it is in the comparatively austere first movement that I experienced a little discomfort.

With Mahler one always wants comment of good quality in the liner, and by and large Stephen Johnson handles the task well. He does not take a view on whether the slow movement should precede the scherzo (as here) or follow it, nor can I see that this matters as our present-day technology allows us to program the sequence of the movements to our own taste. As with Shostakovich, this music obviously has strong extra-musical influences, but Mahler, unlike Shostakovich, decided to keep his mouth shut about them - a great relief to me for one, as I feel that Shostakovich has been the fruitful father of confusion through his self-contradictions and changes of mind. Mahler even dropped the title `Tragic' for the work, which demonstrates how serious he was about avoiding misleading statements. The most tragic symphony known to me is the 4th of Brahms, a work as purely abstract and `absolute' in concept as any ever composed. Occasionally Johnson pushes the envelope too far: `Mahler...had looked into... the coming century...Where else could those violent march rhythms, those vivid depictions...have come from?' Goodness me, I don't know where from, so tell me. However in the main he is sensible, adducing such evidence as he deems relevant from the composer's biography, from his ambivalent attitude to Nietzsche and from contemporary events. One statement earns Johnson a mild reprimand, and it is his reference to `a 90-minute symphony'. Be not afraid, it takes 77 minutes in this account, and I hope 90 minutes in no account.

So do I `recommend' this disc? Truth to tell, I don't even know. It has everything to be said for it in terms of consistency of interpretation, and of course the players are the LSO. It depends on how each of us hears this symphony in particular, and this composer more generally. Myself, I don't hear this performance as I tend to imagine Mahler by and large, but on the other hand this symphony, in any possible performance, does not fully conform to my overall image of Mahler. I doubt I can be much more categorical in a purely verbal review, so if you get the chance try to hear this set and judge how well it works for you. One thing I can be clear about is - use a fairly high volume setting for the recording to make its most favourable impact. May 4, 2008

A not so subtle Mahler 6

This reading has left me feeling a little short of excited. The adrenaline rush is there on a superficial level, but that ultimately wears off as it becomes apparent that the multitude of shadings, colors and moods of this piece are just not being explored to the extent that I desire from this particular symphony. Does anybody here remember Spinal Tap? Well, in that film the guitarist refers to his amplifier that "goes to 11". Well, this reading steps up to 11 and doesn't ever seem to let up, and the conductor does not explore the various contours of the score. For my tastes this can become rather numbing. There is no denying that there is energy and plenty of sturm und drang to go around for everyone and I certainly appreciate that in my Mahler. However, there needs to be more variation within the reading in order for me to fully immerse myself in the piece. Eschenbach and Fischer and two examples of conductors with recent readings that cover the entire emotional spectrum. And then there's Bernstein I and II, Levi, Kubelik, Chailly and Bertini among others. Simply, there are many more engaging 6ths out there for your consideration, and if you do enjoy this reading then I urge you to supplement it with others. April 29, 2008

wonderful mahler 6th

I am an avid Mahler fan. I have multiple copies of all of Mahler's symphonies. However, I hardly ever listen to the 6th. Since buying this version of Mahler 6, I can hardly get it out of my disc player. It is very musical in my opinion and just enjoyable to listen to. There is just something about it. I am not one to analyze the tempo or adherence to the score, so this review is very "light" in this manner. If you like Mahler's symphonies and you want something very enjoyable to listen to, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Gergiev 6th.

In terms of sonics, it is incredible!!! April 25, 2008

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