Stunning Adagio, joyful Wunderhorn
To my regret, Pierre Boulez eschews any of the various "performing versions" of Mahler's Tenth. I am sure he, like other conductors, has his good reasons. Still, and especially after hearing what he does to the first movement with the superb Clevelanders, I feel quite deprived of the symphony's rest. As my friend Clive points out, this is the most breath-taking reading of the Adagio one could imagine: searing, utterly moving, multi-layered in the different string sections, heart-rending in the quiet moments and other-worldly at the end. Enough said: you must hear it in order to believe it! In comparison, the early songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (after a collection of romantic folk poems by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano) are entertaining, light fare, a testament to Mahler's youthful infatuation with German Romanticism. They are brought off with great gusto by the fine soloists and the brilliant Clevelanders with minimal directions from Boulez. Sound and video are perfect. An...
one for the ages
Hot on the heels of the complete Mahler 10 by Lan Shui/Singapore Symphony comes this Adagio only from Boulez. As much as I admire the Lan Shui disc, this Boulez is in a different class altogether. The Cleveland Orchestra is a much better orchestra, the string choirs providing string sonorities I'm not sure I've ever heard before. Boulez, in the included interview, notes that Mahler left no tempo markings other than Andante - Adagio, so most conductors play it straight. Boulez has elected to use a lot of rubato, and to great effect! It's pure magic, as is his use of portamento (string slides).
Boulez' Mahler has developed a lot over the years, proving that at 85, you're not too old to change. I always liked his interpretations, but they were a bit clinical, allowing every strand to be heard clearly. Lately, his Mahler is warmer, and more emotional, without losing the clarity.
If you are not moved by this performance, there's no hope for you! The huge outburst...
Seeing is now believing
There are many recordings of the complete Des Knaben Wunderhorn cycle by Gustav Mahler - with orchestra, with piano and wither two singers or one singer - and most likely listeners have already selected their favorite(s). While Pierre Boulez has unlocked many mysteries in his recordings of the entire Mahler output and for the most part stands in rarefied air as an interpreter among the finest, this recording is somewhat disappointing. Yes, the music is still wonderful: Mahler loved these songs so well that he used them in his symphonies, either as songs (in the 3rd, and 4th symphonies) or as orchestral themes in others. But here there is an ambiguous leve of indecision in the manner in which Boulez approaches these youthful songs.
The two soloists are superb - Magdalena Kozená takes on her share of the songs with an aplomb and vocal finesse that sets her up as a fine Mahlerite and Christian Gerhaher sings these as if to the music born (his diction and phrasing and...
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