Search - Siegmund Nimsgern, Hector Berlioz, Gustav Mahler :: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 / Berlioz: Romeo et Juliette

An Odd Pairing, Neither Wholly Successful

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 08/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is hard to find Pierre Boulez in territory not conducive to his gifts. This CD set released in 2000 pairs a rather fine performance of excerpts from Berlioz' 'Romeo et Juliette' recorded with the New York Philharmonic when Yvonne Minton was in excellent estate and in many ways is preferable to Boulez' recording of the complete work with Melanie Diener and Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra (released in 2003). A bit more French in sound, but comparing excerpts with the complete work is unfair.



The surprise on this recording is the pairing with Mahler's massive hour and half long Symphony No. 8! Piecing the two works together must have been dictated by recording room on the discs. Boulez conducts the BBC Symphonic Orchestra and choruses with a fine group of soloists here. One would think that the master technician would reveal some new insights to the complexities of Mahler's score. But instead the symphony sounds studied and 'correct' without ever taking flight. There are moments when the choral/symphony balance is breathtaking in pianissimos, and moments when the soloists soar over the fabric of the score. But in the end the spiritual aspect of the work remains grounded. Perhaps part of this is due to the sonics, but for this reviewer it goes beyond mechanics. This 'Symphony of a Thousand' just doesn't exalt! Grady Harp, August 05"