Search - Mahler, Walter, Vienna Philharmonic Orch :: Walter Conducts: Symphony 9 in D

Do not take this one lightly!

Jonathan Stern | New York, New York USA | 06/08/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Walter made this recording days before he fled Nazi Germany. Many of the musicians, some of whom might have played for Mahler - and in the Walter-conducted premiere of the work - were soon swept up in the Third Reich as well, either as victims, refugees, or, sadly, supporters. The result is - surprisingly enough for Walter - a lean, brisk, tense, almost angry account that, even with the dated sonics (which can be ignored), remains one of the more powerful and tragic accounts of the Ninth ever made. Those who prefer a rich, achingly beautiful rendering should look elsewhere. The diehard Mahlerian should not be without it, no matter how many Ninths he or she owns."