MAHLER: Symphony No.7
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Yoel Levi
Telarc 2CD-80514
I had reservations about Levi's recording of Mahler's Sixth a couple of years
ago, but here in the Seventh Symphony he seems to have found his Mahlerian
home. You can learn a great deal about a conductor's approach to this work
by the way he interprets the first 133 bars. I'll say straight away that,
for me, Levi passes this test with flying colours and goes on to give a
performance of the whole work that can stand among the best. Mahler marks
the opening "Langsam" and Levi bravely takes the composer at his word, pushing
it to the limit of endurance so that, when the march-like episode arrives
at bar 19, he can make the crucial increase in tempo asked for without rushing
things. An impressive achievement when you sometimes hear this "jump-off"
point spoiled by not getting the tempo relationships sorted from the start.
Then at bar 27, when the first Tempo returns, the resulting drag on our senses
is acute, as I believe it should be, because Mahler surely doesn't want us
to stray from the rowing motion that inspired him to write this passage.
The lovely second subject on violins, one of Mahler's questing themes, can
now also afford to be spaciously mapped by Levi and, with what has gone before,
rounds off a splendid opening that promises things to come. And Levi doesn't
disappoint. His care for the way each part of the movement fits into the
whole doesn't desert him and even allows him to continue the kind of mood
he has indicated he believes the movement demands: spacious, lyrical and
searching. So, as the Development gets underway, there's a dreamy, Brucknerian
restraint saved from undue languor by the perky contributions from the woodwind
which the sound recording allows us to hear in excellent context. In fact,
right through the performance, the recorded balance gives space, air and
richness all at once. For a passage showing conductor, orchestra and engineers
at their best listen to bars 317-377 and the wonderful reach of the melodic
line sustained over immense spaces. With the entry of the solo trombone at
the Recapitulation we hear Levi aware also of the darker side to Mahler's
inspiration. Then, with his treatment of the more vigorous concluding march
that seems to dominate the music by then, there's rigour also. So, even though
this first movement under Levi is on a grand scale, (though not so grand
it falls into the bear trap that awaited Klemperer in his dotage), it's
through-thought and capable of exploring every avenue.
Levi treats both Nachtmusik movements (the second and fourth) as islands
of calm amid the hurly-burly that the first and fifth movements represent.
The first Nachtmusik is a splendid showcase for the horn and woodwind players
of the Atlanta Symphony, the latter so impressive in the first movement.
I also liked the distance the engineers give to the cowbells, accentuating
the sense of space this recording possesses. The second Nachtmusik is easy-going
and atmospheric. Not for Levi the highly-strung delivery we hear from Rattle,
for example. The mood here is essentially optimistic and provides a splendid
curtain-raiser to the last movement. Perhaps it does miss the unforgettable
nostalgia for sick Vienna in the early 20th century that Abbado and Horenstein
manage, but it's a small point when you take the movement in context with
Levi's performance of the preceding Scherzo where he manages again to reconcile
many disparate elements. Here the marking is "Shadowy" and Levi manages that
very well but also crucially gets his orchestra to reveal a lot of inner
detail, no doubt helped by the engineers. Maybe he could have pressed forward
a little harder so that the extraordinary effects Mahler indulges in could
have told even more than they do.
This symphony is a journey out of the various shades of darkness and what
they mean and then into the light - night and the return of day where day
blazes in with the last movement all fanfares, percussion and dances in
profusion. There is an interpretation which sees this movement as something
deeper, more sinister, but I don't think that's applicable here as Levi takes
the orthodox view: day bringing release and new life. Michael Kennedy has
said that a great performance of the Seventh will be crowned by this movement
and so it is with Levi. However, it's important to say that he proves the
conductor doesn't need to go "hell-for-leather" in order to create the energy
the movement needs. Marginally, when compared with other conductors, Levi
holds back a tad and relies on the rhythmic kicks written into the music
to keep things going. In short, he takes the movement seriously, with clear
evidence of careful preparation and what must have been thorough rehearsal.
A concert performance did precede this studio recording and I think it benefited
from that. The result is a sense of momentum that builds so that, in the
closing pages, the work now ending delivers a rare, life-enhancing optimism
that completes a rounded interpretation of Mahler's most challenging work.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra acquit themselves superbly in all departments
and the engineers provide one of the most satisfying orchestral recordings
I have heard in a long time, perfectly suited to this work. With Yoel Levi's
superb interpretation, this new recording is a real contender in a crowded
market.
Reviewer
Tony Duggan
Performance:
Sound:
See also Tony Duggan's comparative
reviews of the Mahler Symphonies
