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Chailly Mahler 9th

The new Riccardo Chailly/Concertgebouw Mahler Ninth from Decca just might be the best-sounding recording ever made of a Mahler symphony. And as a performance it moves straight to the top of the class.

I am in awe of this powerful, moving, impeccably prepared, beautifully crafted performance of Mahler's last completed symphony, and of the magnificent, state-of-the-art sound Decca has provided for it. Chailly's tempos all work; his performance is profound and utterly convincing. The Concertgebouw has Mahler in its bones, and its committed playing and sumptuous sonority are all that could be desired. And Decca's engineers have captured every nuance with unrivaled immediacy, clarity, richness, and impact, revealing countless felicitous details, as well as exceptionally wide frequency range and dynamic range. Soft passages have beguiling delicacy; climaxes have potent bass and gut-wrenching power. The grand, heaven-storming scale of the reading is fully conveyed; what we hear here can stand as a model of how to record a Mahler symphony. This recording marks the triumphant conclusion of Chailly's distinguished Concertgebouw Mahler cycle for Decca. It was made in the Concertgebouw Great Hall, famed for its superb acoustics, in June 2004, in conjunction with Chailly's farewell concert as principal conductor of the orchestra (but it is not a live recording).

I've been a Mahler buff for 40 years and have many recordings of his symphonies, including half a dozen Mahler Ninths. But I've never heard a more eloquent Ninth than this one, and I've never heard one in which every thread of the complex orchestration is so clearly revealed. If I could keep only one Mahler Ninth, this would be the one. In addition to Chailly and the Concertgebouw, Decca engineers Jonathan Stokes and Philip Siney deserve to take a bow. Anyone who loves Mahler, anyone fond of the Ninth, anyone curious about how good a recent digital recording of a Mahler symphony can be, ought to hear this recording.

Have any of you guys listened to this one? What did you think? Also, my comments apply to the standard redbook CD version, but there is also a (separate) SACD version. Anyone heard that one?
texasdave

Showing 2 responses by mario_b

mario_b
147 posts
 
Texasdave,
Enjoyed your review very much. I'm a recent convert to Mahler - so I'm a tableau rasa here, free to sample and taste the full range of offerings. I'll most likely try out Chailly's 9th as soundstage in getting to hear all the nuances is important for me especially as an aid in learning the music. Though I'll probably hunt down Bernstein's, as well. I absolutely love Lenny, warts and all. And he seems to have had a particular soft spot for Mahler.
Forgive my ignorance, but are these Decca recordings CD?
Yesterday, I snagged two pristine vinyl sets of Mahler's 8th and 9th from our Re-Use center for a buck apiece.
The 9th is by the LSO under Ludwig. For those timing their Mahler this one comes in at 80:04. The Los Angeles Everest recording, however, is not all that great. A good part of the bass section seems to have fallen through a trap door in the soundstage.
The Chicago Symphony Orch. under Solti's baton for the 8th is a whole 'nother story. A London ffrr double LP set that certainly seems to deliver the slam of this "Symphony of a Thousand" at least, to this uninitiated ear.
mario_b
147 posts
 
Hi JHWalker:

Are the Deutsche Grammophon recodings that you mentioned above, LP or CD?
If they are CD, are the any better sounding than the vinyl DGs?
Bear with me, while I try to straddle the fence here on the issue of sound versus performance.
I pass up DG labels all the time, no matter what the performance because their LP sound is so tepid.
Forgive me, if this seems like I'm picking a scrap, but if I'm told that I will be allowed into a concert hall's hallway (I know this exagerates a bit) to listen to a to-die-for maestro's performance, I'll take a pass.
Certainly, with the great number of commendable Mahler performances and the several excellent labels to choose from, we can have our cake and eat it too.
Of course, this may be just from my perspective in vinlyland where the plethora of choices seem to fall out of a cornicopia.
- Mario
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