Mahler AGAIN?! Recordings of Tragic symphony

For those who wants to purchase recordings of Mahler's Sixth Symphony entitled "Tragic" (especially in light of recent MPO performance by Claus Peter Flor) here are my rundowns on recordings I heard so far:














Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (Decca).

This was my very first recording of this symphony, bought from Tower Records at neat RM 34.90. Decently played, the Finale thrilling but not quite in the league as the two MPO performances by Bakels and Peter Flor. The hammerblows sounded as if twacked from a bass drum. Better investment elsewhere.














Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon)


This is one recording I worship and a benchmark which others are judged. I have not listened to the earlier New York Philharmonic recording, but whoever says that one is superior to this should have their ears checked (we all know how hammy the NYPO recordings on Sony sounds anyway). A live recording that is stunningly and vividly captured, there are imperfections one must deal with first; an exaggerated and almost cheesy interpretation of Alma's theme, the trio of Scherzo ("Altvaterisch") crawls at a tortoise pace which sounds like a grandma doing tango just to name few. But the Viennese brasses are menacing and puts their CSO colleagues to shame. Listen to a howling cry on Viennese horn first few minutes into the Finale and also the way the brasses sustains tensions between the hammerblows at a superhuman stamina. I also like the cowbell effects which is a little more like muted clomps of coconut shells which is still more evocative than "tin kosong" clangings in other performances. No other performances of the Finale is as visceral and devastating as in this recording. In the coda, Bernstein swings an axe at our heads, and dump it into oblivion. It is that damned good.



Royal Concertgebouworkest, Riccardo Chailly(Decca)

My general complaint of Chailly's Mahler is too much polish on his Mahler and prefer the grit of Horenstein, Klemperer or even Bernstein. However this recording is exception, despite the first movement crawling at almost half an hour (or 25 mins roughly). But in Chailly's case his choice of tempi is convincing and RCO supplements it with much weight and dread. The wind department shows us again why they are the best Mahler orchestra in the world. The feel is roughly like Bernstein's recording with Vienna Philharmonic, but with less eccentric mannerisms we come accustomed with his conducting. If you only see this in your store, its worth every penny. The gorgeous Zemlinsky songs are a bonus.



Philharmonia Orchestra, Benjamin Zander (Telarc)


This recording is an audiophile Mahlernut's feast. There are numerous vivid details in that recording that are stunning and the hammerblows literally knock your socks off. However if you are accostomed to Bernstein like I do, you may want to ask "What is the fuss?". Bernstein may not be a literalist who follows everything that Mahler asks in the score, but there is no doubt who is a more superior Mahler conductor. It comes at whopping 3-cd package inclusive of an hour's lecture regarding the performance and the only recording which has two Finales, one the original with 3 hammerblows and the revised version with 2 hammerblows.




















WDR Symphony Orchestra, Köln/Dimitri Mitropoulos

Finally, this recording may be sonically inferior to the above, but no less visceral and unnerving as the best recordings out there. A live recording, the orchestra is pretty much what you expect in the 50s, not perfect. Worse are the absence of cowbells and only ONE hammerblow in the Finale (the bugger forgot his first Hammer cue). Still Mitropoulos' vision of this symphony is undisputable and the human drama depicted are unforgettable. The performance comes with Debussy's La mer, Berlioz' excerpts of Romeo and Juliet and Strauss' Dance of Seven Veils, all with New York Philharmonic and sounds very good in this Great Conductors of 20th century package.