Rondo - Finale: Tempo 1 (Tempo ordinario) Tempo 2 (Allegro moderato ma energico)
There could be no greater contrast to Mahler?s crushing Sixth Symphony than his surreal ?Song of the Night? ? the Seventh Symphony. A diffuse, unwieldly score, calling for such musical exotica as a Baritone Horn, Mandoline... more », Guitar and of course? COW BELLS, Mahler?s Seventh is one of the composer?s most difficult scores to bring off. Difficult for some, but Maestro Gielen draws out every rich and bizarre detail and presents us with one of the stunning recordings of the Seventh to appear on disc!« less
There could be no greater contrast to Mahler?s crushing Sixth Symphony than his surreal ?Song of the Night? ? the Seventh Symphony. A diffuse, unwieldly score, calling for such musical exotica as a Baritone Horn, Mandoline, Guitar and of course? COW BELLS, Mahler?s Seventh is one of the composer?s most difficult scores to bring off. Difficult for some, but Maestro Gielen draws out every rich and bizarre detail and presents us with one of the stunning recordings of the Seventh to appear on disc!
"A virtuoso orchestra, a conductor who stays true to the score, and an exceptionally clear sound recording - those seem to me the essential ingredients of a really, really good Mahler disc. And here the three merge with the greatest felicity. Gielen is a no-nonsense conductor, who nonetheless provides startling surprises in the 80 minutes this symphony takes, simply because he does what Mahler wants. Listen to the very audible FF doubled harp in the second Nachtmusik - suddenly the deliberate irony of this piece stands out very clearly (an effect further enhanced by the breezy tempo and a general refusal to go mushy). Throughout, when Mahler writes "deutlich", you can trust Gielen to make sure that you hear that particular voice. When variants of themes appear in secondary voices, Gielen will not let them go unnoticed. In fact, I have hardly heard any symphonic recording that allows you to hear so much of what is in the score. And in a symphony of this complexity, that is a great benefit. The dazzling counterpoint is revealed in all its mindblowing intricacy, and the endless subtleties of instrumentation are a constant source of delight. Of course, Gielen has reason to be thankful to his recording team. The way horns, trombones, but also clarinets stand out is truly wonderful. The transparency of the music remains unclouded even in the busiest pages: nearly every individual line remains audible. The effect is glorious. And though the playing of the SRW Orchestra is not without the occasional rough edge and very occasional lack of unanimity, it certainly needs not fear such close scrutiny.
Gielen's lack of narcissism resulted in a low publicity profile for his Mahler cycle, but among afficionado's he is something of a "Geheimtip" - and justly so. All in all this Mahler 7 seems to me preferable to all others I know, much as I admire some of those (Rattle, Chailly, Bernstein, Abbado, Haitink, Inbal): it is powerful, dramatic, and highly expressive without being idiosyncratic. It also makes you hear the modernity of the music, the most audacious Mahler ever wrote, especially in the first movement; - expressionism avant-la-lettre. The Scherzo can never have sounded more gruesome, and certainly makes Saint Saëns's Danse Macabre seem a picnic on a sunny day. The much maligned Finale is unembarrassedly spectacular and deliciously raucous - so much so, that it makes Bernstein sound almost tame by comparison. The clamour of bells towards the end is truly deafening, and bound to bring a very big smile to your face. So much for Mahler the melancholic..."
Comprehensive and Touching
Jeong-woo Cho | Daejeon, Daejeon Korea, Republic of | 11/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have heard Bernstein's(DG and Sony), Boulez's, and this. Among them, this one is the most impressive to me. I like his innovative style of performing Mahler's Seventh Symphony. He explains this symphony very clearly and also it is touching. Also, the recording quality is incredibly good. I can not understand why no one have ever reviewed this CD. I think this is one of the best performances of Seventh Symphony and highly recommed to you. (In fact, this one is my favorite.)"
Very good!
L. Johan Modée | Earth | 08/13/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is probably one of the very best of Michael Gielen's highly acclaimed Mahler recordings (now available as a complete set). As is strikingly obvious when listening to his interpretation, Gielen has a "modernist" approach to the work, emphasizing its extreme kaleidoscopic character. His grasp of the third movement is here particularly successful, I think. But all the five movements are convincingly presented, and very detailed as well. This is not only due to the outstanding recording quality and the superb orchestral playing. It is also due to Gielen's analytic but passionate interpretation of the work, which outshines most rivals in the market.
The disc is a must have for all Mahlerite connoisseurs. But it also can be recommended even for those who want just one splendid studio recording of this work.
"
Eclipses all others
Paul Bubny | Maplewood, NJ United States | 07/25/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I stand by my earlier positive reviews of the Inbal and Bernstein recordings of Mahler's Seventh Symphony, but now that I've heard the Gielen I have to say it eclipses any other Mahler Seventh I've encountered, whether on a recording or in concert. You'd think the conductor has elephant's ears, such is his ability to hear more in the score than anyone else--and he present this often unwieldy piece more cohesively than anyone. Moreover, the orchestra is stunning here."
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
