| Site review by Polly Nomial June 18, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
This is yet another triumph for PentaTone’s RQR series. With visionary conducting and exemplary playing and singing, this set is a treasure to listen to from both an audiophiles' and a musician’s perspective.
Some people might note that this is available on a single disc, with a total playing time of around 76 minutes. Those who are concerned that Haitink has turned into a speed freak for a disc need not worry; it is more the case that (unless specifically called for, like in the concluding “Alles Vergangliche”) there is no dawdling. This approach lends a work that is potentially unconvincing as a symphony some much needed unity.
There are tiny moments of lapses of ensemble and occasional rough tuning from the trumpets now and again but considering the enormity of the forces, the whole co-ordination is managed in a sensational manner. Throughout, Haitink’s relatively straightforward reading allows the drama that Mahler included to come to the fore without attempting to laden it (as too many mistakenly do in this weaker work of the Mahler canon) with, for want of a better word, “significance”.
As will be familiar to those of PentaTone’s modern recordings, the sound balance is very “natural” and unusually for a work with such a mammoth orchestration, there are no instruments placed around the hall except a for a few trumpets in the finales to each part, so apart from missing the very attractive ambience of the Concertgebouw, listeners in stereo are not severely disadvantaged. There is no “hole” in the mix either when swapping to MCH, so one must give praise and thanks to the original Philips engineers as well as to the geniuses at Polyhymnia.
The only vaguely significant criticism I can level at this issue is the lack of texts – not even PentaTone’s website contains any translations. Whilst for many, this will not be a significant problem, some intrepid explorers for whom SACD has opened new musical frontiers, it is a great shame that PentaTone could not have helped overcome a potential language barrier.
To sum up: for all Mahlerians, this is an essential addition to the discography.
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by Russell June 2, 2006 (20 of 20 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
I was quite excited about this 1972 recording being reissued on SACD, as it's been one of my favorite performances of the work ever since LP days. I've always felt this recording was underappreciated, both for performance and recording quality. The LP had the misfortune to be released around the same time as the more flamboyant Solti recording on Decca, and most critics preferred Solti's over the more diffusely recorded Haitink one. While the Solti is certainly the more overtly 'spectacular' recording, the Haitink has its merits as well.
I wasn't disappointed with this new SACD. Though I don't have the original Philips CD issue on hand to compare it to, the sound on the PentaTone SACD is huge, spacious, and transparent, though lacking a bit in richness and weight. I remember this as a characteristic of the LP. (BTW, I listened in stereo only, as I'm not set up for MCH.) As for the interpretation, it's pretty much echt-Haitink from that period--direct, straightforward, unfussy, no interpretive mannerisms (that I could hear, at least). It's also pretty swift, at under 76 minutes (Solti's is just over 79, IIRC). (Note: the total time printed on the back cover is incorrect--it says 70 minutes and change.) The singing is first-rate, and better IMO than on the recent Wit/Naxos CD, which has received very high praise elsewhere--I found it good, but overrated. Haitink dispatches the very end of the work just a bit too coolly--I would have preferred Haitink to wallow more in its grandeur--but overall I really loved hearing this recording again and am happy to have it on SACD.
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