Mahler Symphony No. 1 Czech Philharmonic/Semyon Bychkov Pentatone PTC 5187 043 55:16 mins
Those extraordinary sounds and perspectives which make Mahler’s first attempt at symphonic form seem so fresh today meet with state-of-the-art recording in most recent releases. So what makes this one special? You could cite the provenance – after all, the late Jiří Bělohlávek always claimed Mahler as a Czech composer, and this first movement could be subtitled ‘From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields’ in homage to Smetana. But what’s truly unique is the marriage of low-level dynamics which inform so much of the work with absolute focus. The lugubrious double-bass-led round on the tune we know as ‘Frère Jacques’ is so ghostly, carrying over in to the trio-reverie and keeping the klezmer outbursts well within the dream context. That makes the ‘cry of a deeply wounded heart’ which kicks off the finale more impactful than ever; how Bychkov layers the sound, with horns full-throttle or stopped remarkable throughout. On the evidence of this, I can’t wait to hear their Sixth. And the triumph is genuinely exhilarating from shining top of the range to thunderous bass. Every Mahler One should make one reflect on some aspect of the work’s originality; this one does so more than most.
David Nice
