I have a dozen versions of this symphony on my shelves. Not
only is it one of the most extensively recorded of Mahler symphonies
but it is also one of the most consistently successful. So how
and why would I be able to recommend yet another recording?
I certainly don’t need another and it would have to be
something special to merit recommendation. That’s especially
the case as this issue is undeniably expensive compared with
bargain issues such as Frank Shipway’s stunning reading
with the RPO on their Tring label or reissues of the celebrated
versions by Abbado with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the
accounts in the big bargain boxes offering the collected symphonies
conducted by Tennstedt, Maazel or Levine.
While their SACD sonics have generally been adjudged their strongest
feature, the three previous issues in what is projected to be
a complete series have met with a mixed reception regarding
their artistic success. In them some hear a literalism or lack
of poetry; others praise the “truthfulness” of Manfred
Honeck’s interpretation. Most agree that the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra plays extraordinarily well, not least their
Principal Trumpet George Vosburgh and Principal Horn William
Caballero. Indeed those two soloists surpass themselves in this
latest recording, even if their fellow string-players cannot
emulate the sheen and glow of the greatest orchestras forming
the competition.
The Pittsburgh has had some financial difficulties of late but
has acquired stability with the appointment of Austrian conductor
Honeck in 2008 and the extension of his contract through to
2020. Honeck was a violinist for the Vienna Philharmonic playing
under Bernstein and Pittsburgh predecessor Maazel. He generally
favours a warm, Romantic, traditional sound and while he has
a keen ear for balancing sonorities he is unafraid to give the
brass their head.
So, what of the specific merits or otherwise of this latest
issue? I find it to be very fine but without anything especially
striking to say. Direct comparisons with numerous competing
versions leave me convinced that Honeck’s vision of this
symphony is lacking somewhat in energy and attention to detail.
Tennstedt’s phrasing, accenting and dynamics for example,
are so much more varied and absorbing from bar to bar in the
opening Trauermarsch. There is a lack of the necessary wildness
and fierce concentration in both of the first two movements.
Honeck’s trumpets do not shout, nor do the flutes scream
“mit grösster Vehemenz” as they should and
there is insufficient Schwung in his beat. This lack of passion
is somewhat redeemed by the attack of Honeck’s Finale.
Some have complained of the stridency of the brass here but
I don’t mind their out-and-out assertiveness in a performance
which sometimes borders on the good-mannered.
The Adagietto, too, palls in comparison with the very best by
such as Bernstein, Maazel and Tennstedt. All three had celebrated
Mahler-specialist orchestras at their disposal: the Vienna Philharmonic
in the case of the first two and the London Philharmonic, specially
trained in Mahler by Tennstedt. By comparison with those two
orchestras there is some want of richness in the Pittsburgh
string tone. Nobody can make this music breathe like Bernstein
while Tennstedt, too, in both his live and studio recordings,
evinces his genius for long-breathed phrasing. Honeck tends
to pull the tempo about rather aimlessly and loses the pulse
in an account which is amongst the longest but not the tautest.
The Scherzo conforms to the established pattern of first-rate
playing without quite capturing the last degree of nuance in
the music. In this case, the delicate ironic balance evokes
what Willem Mengelberg called “forced joyfulness”.
Yet all is beautifully played in first-rate sound. There is
virtually no indication that this recording was made from live
performances. I have to say that I listen to this disc on standard,
rather than SACD equipment, although by all accounts this series
has so far met with the approval of SACD enthusiasts. Ultimately,
there are too many truly great recorded versions of this most
popular of Mahler’s symphonies to justify my giving it
a top billing, good as it is.
Ralph Moore
Masterwork Index: Mahler
5
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck 
[73:38] 