Abbado conducts Mahler 3rd with Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Claudio Abbado's Mahler 7th with Lucerne Festival Orchestra is the finest presented on DVD bar none. One could claim it is not surprising with very few performances on DVD (other significant one being Bernstein's rendition with VPO) but consider that technically this performance surpasses Abbado's Chicago SO reading which is already a classic recommendation on its own alongside Bernstein's early New York Philharmonic recording. The schizophrenic, radical nature of the 7th which inspires the 2nd Viennese school suits the Lucerne players very well, whom are top virtuosos from finest orchestras in Europe yet play collectively under guidance of Abbado. You have one of the most jaw-dropping orchestral playing which is very Straussian on DVD but instead of just flash and no substance the recording benefits from Abbado's experience and intimacy with this work. In short in whole discography of Mahler 7th, Abbado owns the work in my opinion as he understood the nocturnal drama of the night including romance under the moonlight and things that bump around in the dark. It is amazing that now he has the greatest readings of the 7th on three orchestras; CSO, Berlin philharmonic and this ensemble.

So I had high expectations for this DVD recording which is the latest release from 2007. Suffice to say the disappointing thing is it is not as good as the Mahler 7th. My dilemma for reviewing this is that it is a sort of very mixed bag.

How mixed? Interpretatively you are better stuck with your Horenstein, Bernstein, Boulez, Chailly etc. Abbado does not really capture the mystical pantheism of Horenstein or wild hedonistic abandon of Bernstein or swashes of colour and special effects by Boulez and Chailly. It is a pity his reading of the 1st three movements is nothing remarkable. On the technical side, you cannot dispute the Lucerners despite now missing star oboist Albrecht Meyer. The most remarkable section I heard was the horns and they're bloody formidable. It is too bad the orchestra doesn't favour of producing "nasty" sound* since their timbres are pretty much "rounded" which is pity despite their calibre. This shows in the march moments of the 1st movement where it just lacked the abandon or adrenaline rush it needs. I think Tony Duggan hits the point as he mentions in his Mahler survey; Any attempt to "prettify" or "smooth out" the first movement leads ultimately to a blunting of its special power and so to failure. Sadly is the case for this one.

Beautiful playing there is plenty. Anna Larsson's rendition of "O Mensch" in my opinion is the finest since Kerstin Meyer (Barbirolli/BBC) and Norma Proctor (Horenstein/Unicorn). She doesn't caricaturise the Mensch pronunciation like some contraltos do (eg: Menssssssss-ch) and she is assisted by brilliant accompaniment of the Lucerners. The principal oboist did a fine hinaufziehen but what is even more remarkable was the same technique by the cor anglais player which was breathtaking. This command by Mahler which meant an extraordinary upward glissando is rarely heard in most Mahler 3rd recordings. Abbado's rendition of the last movement is magical, with perfectly judged ebb and flow and also the climaxes comes naturally rather than forced. My only complaint is that the strings could have a little more solid sound and texture but the silk-like transparent quality that Abbado prefers pays dividends. It shows in the final bars where the culmination is the organ-like sonority so moving and different from most performances it has to be heard to be believed.

Conclusion? You may want to listen to this DVD for the Nietzche night song and the final movement but Abbado's Mahler 3 outing with the Lucerners isn't even the finest modern reading. Riccardo Chailly's recording with Royal Concertgebouw has the same technical proficiency but with more riotious festive of tone colours and unfortunately suffers from a too-superficially pretty last movement. Pierre Boulez's Vienna Philharmonic recording is my pick for best modern Mahler 3rd recording despite a little sterility in maestro Boulez' reading it is an all-rounded monumental reading from start to finish. Horenstein's reading is still my favourite, despite aging in sound and technical playing this is one recording every person who claims to be a Mahlerite should listen.

Technical: 9

Interpretation: 7

Sound: 10

* originally wanted to use the word "incapable" but that would be an insult to this virtuoso orchestra