SYMPHONY NO. 5
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One of the more well known of the symphonies (largely due to the famous adagietto for strings and harp which is the fourth movement) is well represented by recordings. In truth, it is really hard to isolate just a couple examples. The usual suspects are all worth a listen (MTT, Bernstein, Chailly, Tennstedt, Rattle) but for my money, here are the two that I enjoy the most.
Claudio Abbado's performance is simply brilliant. His tempi are perfect and the Berliners (well drilled in this symphony- see below) respond with due skill. The recorded sound is magnificent and there is a huge sense of occasion to the performance. Well worth a listen.
One of the biggest regrets in recorded music is that Herbert von Karajan never did a complete Mahler cycke. I suspect that if he had, it would sit top of the pile for complete cycles. The fact is that Karajan (along with Bernstein and Barbirolli) were responsible for bringing Mahler's work into the mainstream. Karajan was meticulous in his work (he rehearsed these symphonies on and off for months beforehand) and turned the Berlin players into the force they are today. Some critics see his Mahler as too "studied" or "sterile". I agree with the former and not the latter. Mahler left an incredible number of markings on his score and Karajan made sure they were all observed. This recording brings this to the fore. To be honest, listening to Karajan work with the Berlin Phil by themselves without the foibles of singers and/or soloists is the classical music equivalent of hearing Joe Satriani jam out on his favourite axe. It's an amazing experience. In this symphony, he brings out every little nook and cranny of the work without compromise and the result is, frankly, exhilarating.
SYMPHONY NO. 6
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This work is one of the most harrowing, yet beautiful, works from Mahler's output. There is little sunshine in the work (which has the unsubtle nickname of the "Tragic" symphony") and the last movement, especially, may just make you want to take up drinking. Sadly, there are many recordings of this work that simply don't get it. Orchestras can sound muddied and confused and conductors struggle to control the forces at their disposal. Some big names make a complete hash of this symphony- Bernstein's recording on DG is one of the lowlights of that cycle as well as recordings by Rattle, Solti, Sinopli and Abbado's first recording of the work with the Chicago Symphony (his second- with the Berliners is a much better affair). But when the players and conductor are in sync, then magic happens. Here are my two favourite recordings.
Yup, Karajan continues what he started with the fifth. The same meticulous prep work has gone into this one and it is a faultless performance. The Berliners just work so hard throughout this amazing recording. If the outer movements are harrowing, the slow third movement is some of the most beautiful playing you are likely to hear- no matter how many times I hear this movement I am almost always at a loss for words at the end. The sound mix is brilliant and recent remastering has brought this out even more.
The first entry into the MTT/SFO cycle was this amazing (and grammy award winning) recording. Taped in front of a live audience less than 48 hours after the tragic events of 9/11, the mood is not lost on the players or conductor. Responding to the tragedy, Tilson Thomas out-emotes Bernstein by about 20 to 1 without compromising the arc of the work. It is a gripping performance of overwhelming sadness.
SYMPHONY NO. 7
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I have been called weird for citing this as my favourite of Mahler's symphonies (even having one person declare that my opinion on Mahler was null and void because of this). I don't care. Something about this symphony gets to the heart of my soul and the outer movements, especially, are two of my all-time favourite movements in Mahler's symphonic canon. Sadly, like the 6th, this symphony has had some legendary misses. Klemperer recorded a version that lasts nearly half an hour longer than most performances (yet it strangely sucks you in!), Gergiev, Rattle, Sinopoli, Chailly and Barenboim have all failed to grasp this behemoth of a work. Bernstein turned this into a concerto for orchestra and decided that Mahler's own markings were largely irrelevant and so made his own mish-mash of this symphony. For what it's worth- here are my two favourites-
There's nothing wrong with MTT's recent recording with SFSO but this one, like his 3rd, is superbly recorded and finely conducted. There probably is no other conductor on the planet that uses the Mahler 7 as his calling card and it's easy to why he does (and others don't). There is not a quaver that is wasted in this. Every thought is spot on and the players respond accordingly. It's easy sometimes to forget that the LSO have been one of the greatest orchestras on the planet for a very long time. This recording reminds us why.
Solti's Mahler, for me, tends to fall into the category of "pleasant and inoffensive enough" for the most part. I have always admired the way Solti loves accents in a musical score- every one (especially brass) gets punched to the back wall. Sometimes, this is to its detriment. Solti never wallows or wears his heart on his sleeve (like, say, Bernstein or Karajan) but he is rarely sloppy or heartless. This recording is one of the highlights of his cycle with the Chicago Symphony. Recent remastering has made this recording sound even more spectacular than it was when first recorded- the Decca engineers of the day were masters of the analog form. The grandeur and spectacle of the outer movements is counter balanced by the nuanced and subtle playing of the inner movements.
I would also recommend Claudio Abbado's first recording with the same orchestra if you can track it down.
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