Search - Gustav Mahler, Riccardo Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphony No. 1

A vivid Mahler First, brought back for an encore

Bruce Hodges | New York, NY | 06/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess to a bit of nostalgia for Riccardo Muti's time in Philadelphia. No slight intended to his successors, Sawallisch and Eschenbach, but there was a certain magic with Muti in some repertoire.



This recording is one of his best, and shows his partnership with the great Philadelphia Orchestra at its peak. This is a sensuous Mahler First, with Muti emphasizing the work's red-blooded power and extreme mood changes. Throughout however, the orchestra responds with equal intensity, and one could not ask for a more apt example of why this is one of the best ensembles in the world.



The sound is excellent -- not at the tip-top of the heap, but still marvelous. If this recording lacks some of the crystal-clarity of more recent recordings (this one dates from the mid-1980's), the softer-grained texture is still ingratiating to the ear.



To my knowledge, Muti has not recorded any other Mahler symphonies but this one -- a shame. This is an vibrant, life-affirming First, in a field crowded with good recordings."

Muti runs over Mahler during rush hour

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/01/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Riccardo Muti was the great hope among young conductors for EMI in the Eighties, but he never caught on with the public, and now his many recordings languish in super-budget land. He is a charmless interpreter whose tendency is either to be rigid and fierce or else bland and slack, depending on his mood. He never assayed any work of Mahler's beyond this proficient, hasty Sym. #1, which is almost astonishing in its impatience and complete lack of sympathy with Mahler's idiom. Een with the gorgeous Philadelphia Orch. playing quie well, thre's no humor, nuance, insight, or joy -- just a fast rush-hour traversal that wastes everyone's time. EMI's early digital sound is clear but edgy at the top. A definite pass except for lovers of the orchestra"