COMPOSERS: Mahler
LABELS: Ondine
ALBUM TITLE: Mahler
WORKS: Symphony No. 6; Piano Quartet
PERFORMER: The Philadelphia Orchestra/ChristophEschenbach (piano); David Kim (violin),Choon-Jin Chang (viola), Efe Baltacigil(cello)
CATALOGUE NO: ODE1084-5D
Sonically, there’s plenty to admire
in this new recording, taken from
live performances in Philadelphia.
In the development section of the
first movement, for example, the
massed brass gleam menacingly, like
a row of soldiers’ bayonets reflecting
the sunlight; the woodwind solos in
the central movements are at once
gracious and deeply expressive; and,
throughout, the strings play with
beautiful, singing tone. Actually,
a little grit and gruffness from the
strings would have been welcome
at times, as would a tighter grip
from Eschenbach.
In general, the conductor’s tempos
are well chosen, but at various key
moments, he lets the line go slack.
Before each of the two hammer
blows, for instance, there’s none of
the relentless screwing up of tension
one feels in Tilson Thomas’s
excellent interpretation.
More troubling still is
Eschenbach’s disregard for many
of the composer’s carefully notated
tempo adjustments. A mere two
minutes into the symphony, where
Mahler advises the tempo be
maintained, Eschenbach inexplicably
pulls back. The cumulative result
of all this pushing and pulling is to
rob the score of its potency and epic
sweep. It’s a pity, too, that Ondine
opted to include applause; even
if this performance isn’t nearly as
devastating as it should be, cheers at
the end sound inappropriate.
To travel deeper into the dark heart of this troubling score, try
Tilson Thomas’ unflinching
account. Ondine’s engineering
is marginally more focused and
atmospheric, but both versions
pack quite a punch in their SACD
surround sound formats. Mahler’s
early Piano Quartet makes an odd
companion here, but in truth is
compellingly performed.
Andrew Farach-Colton