The Utah Symphony occupies a proud position in the tradition of Mahler
recordings for they were the first American orchestra to set down a complete
recorded cycle of the nine symphonies plus the Adagio from the Tenth (
review). Those recordings were made between 1963 and
1974 under the leadership of Maurice Abravanel (1903-1993), their Music
Director from 1947 until 1979. The achievement of Abravanel and the
orchestra in making those recordings should not be underestimated for that
pioneering cycle was made by an orchestra that was far less well-known or
well-endowed at the time than several more illustrious US ensembles. It’s
good that Abravanel’s name lives on in Utah. The concert hall in Salt Lake
City, for which he so long lobbied, opened in 1979 a few months after he
retired from the orchestra on health grounds. It was renamed in his honour
in 1993. It’s there that this present recording was made. It’s good, too,
that over the two seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16 the orchestra has elected to
mark its 75
th anniversary season in 2015-16 by performing all the
Mahler symphonies, championed so strongly by Abravanel.
I came to this recording unsure of what to expect. Thierry Fischer became
the orchestra’s Music Director in 2009. Prior to that he was well known in
the UK. He was the Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of
Wales (2006-12) and before that he led the Ulster Orchestra (2001-06). I may
be wrong but I don’t recall that he programmed much Mahler while he was with
the Welsh orchestra; maybe he’s coming freshly to the Mahler symphonies.
I was in a bit of a quandary in selecting a comparative recording. It had
to be a ‘live’ one. I thought about Bernstein’s 1987 DG recording with the
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (
review) or Klaus Tennstedt’s 1980 traversal with
the LPO (
review), both of which are among my favourite versions.
However, I decided both were a bit too volatile and instead I opted for
Bernard Haitink’s 2008 performance with the Chicago Symphony, which I
admired when I
reviewed it, although not without some reservations.
Fischer’s opening seems to lack mystery. The woodwind interjections sound
too ‘present’ and the distant trumpet calls aren’t nearly distant enough.
When I compared Haitink’s opening there’s much more hush and atmosphere and
the trumpet calls really are distant. Haitink seems to generate more of a
sense of expectancy too and I don’t think this is just a question of volume.
I don’t know why the Utah recording sounds more ‘present’. It may be that
the orchestra isn’t playing sufficiently quietly – though I doubt that. More
likely either the recording is rather too closely balanced or the disc has
been cut at too high a level – or a bit of both. After the pregnant opening,
suggestive of dark woods and the noises of birds and animals in those woods
– at least in the case of the Haitink performance – the music moves out into
the brightness of daylight, Mahler quoting from one of his
Knaben
Wunderhorn songs – ‘Ging heut Morgen übers Feld’. Here the tone of
Fischer’s performance is bright-eyed and positive, as it should be, and he’s
backed up by alert playing. Haitink plays the music more steadily and with
much more legato. The playing of the Chicago Symphony is very beautiful but
I sense a lack of edge. For me, it’s advantage Fischer here, though when
Mahler revisits his introductory material the pendulum swings back Haitink’s
way for a while. I suppose if I were to sum up the movement I would say that
Fischer convinces in the bright, outdoor music but is less good in the more
shadowy passages.
The main material of the second movement is marked
Kräftig bewegt,
doch nicht zu schnell (‘Moving strongly but not too quickly’). Haitink
is observant of the
doch nicht zu schnell qualification and his
tempo is markedly slower than Fischer’s. Haitink’s pacing is right, I think,
for a sturdy
Ländler. However, Fischer’s livelier tempo has more of
a feel of rustic gaiety to it and I rather like it. His way with the trio is
affectionate and at first I felt it was a good contrast with the
Ländler. However, as the trio unfolded I came to think that Fischer
is a bit too fleet. By contrast, Haitink is more relaxed and, crucially,
there’s much more ‘give’ in his phrasing, the mark of a highly experienced
Mahler conductor. As a result his way with the trio sounds far more
idiomatic. The abbreviated reprise of the scherzo culminates, at Fischer’s
swifter speed, in an exultant, driven end to the movement. Haitink is
steadier but that enables him to add important weight in the closing pages,
especially with the Chicago Symphony at his disposal.
There’s a divergence of views at the start of the third movement. Haitink
has the ‘Brüder Martin’ tune played by all the double basses, getting the
players to mute their instruments. Fischer opts for the conventional solo.
In the opening pages of the movement, as the subdued canon develops among
the various bass instruments, the ‘present’ sound of the Utah recording
rather robs the music of hush and ambience. To me the performance just seems
a bit lacking in atmosphere: the music-making is a rather straightforward.
Haitink has the confidence – and the Mahlerian experience – to mould the
music more subtly and persuasively. Partway through, in the ‘Lindenbaum’
episode, the Utah bassoonist, followed by several woodwind colleagues,
decorate the tune most attractively. Here the music flows nicely in
Fischer’s hands though Haitink, with the help of the silken Chicago
orchestra, makes the music sound even sweeter. When the ‘Brüder Martin’
reappears I like the sardonic commentaries from the solo clarinet and violin
in Utah and Fischer lets the movement wind down nicely.
The finale opens strongly in the Fischer performance though one can’t deny
that the Chicago performance has greater weight and heft. This extra
amplitude means that the music, though similarly paced, has a bit more
thrust in Haitink’s hands compared with Fischer’s opening. The music winds
down until Mahler ushers in a wonderful broad melody in D flat, played by
the strings. Here, I’m afraid, Fischer strains my patience for his unfolding
of the tune (track 4 from 3:22) is disappointingly straight. Admirers might
regard his treatment of the passage as ‘direct’ but I find it superficial
and utterly lacking in character. By contrast, Haitink not only prepares for
the melody superbly – unlike Fischer – but treats it more expansively,
without ever wearing his heart on his sleeve. Once again, too, he makes the
most of the phrasing. This is top-drawer Mahler conducting and in this very
important stretch of the finale I’m afraid that as far as Fischer goes it’s
no contest. Thereafter in the finale Fischer delivers the stormy passages
strongly, obtaining committed playing from his orchestra, but it’s Haitink
who makes more – much more - of the several relaxed passages. Overall I
think there’s little doubt that Haitink displays more imagination in his
conducting of the finale, especially in the more ruminative sections.
Having decided initially not to use Bernstein as a comparator I’m afraid I
couldn’t resist the temptation to make some final spot comparisons. He
generates fine tension at the start of the symphony and his playing of the
main body of the movement is extrovert. In the third movement he follows
Haitink in adopting a steady tempo for the
Ländler and he defines
the music in a very sharp profile but it’s in the finale that Lennie really
seals the deal. His opening sweeps all before it, like a musical torrent,
with the Concertgebouw Orchestra playing as if their very lives depended on
it. No accent goes to waste, even in the quieter passages. And as for that D
flat melody, it’s gloriously sung with Bernstein staying – just staying at
times – on the right side of indulgence. This is
great conducting,
not least in terms of Bernstein’s instinctive understanding of rubato.
I think if I’d been at one of the concerts in Salt Lake City in September
2014 from which this recording derives I’d have gone home feeling pretty
satisfied. Whether this performance is strong enough for repeated listening
under domestic conditions, when one can’t see the performers and be caught
up in the occasion, I’m much less sure. The performance is well played and
has some good interpretative features but also several things that give me
pause for thought, as I’ve indicated.
I think listeners’ reactions to the recorded sound may vary. The recording
has been made by the American company, Soundmirror and licensed to Reference
Recordings. I’ve encountered several Soundmirror recordings in the past and
they generally get very good results. The sound that they’ve achieved here
has plenty of impact and lets lots of detail through. Some collectors may
like the up-front sound. The snag is that the recording isn’t ideal for some
of Mahler’s soft, atmospheric passages. In fairness to the engineers I
should say that I’ve not heard any previous recordings from this venue and
it may well be that the acoustic properties of the hall dictated the
approach to recording. However, the recording may well reproduce differently
according to your equipment. This may be a classic case where audio
streaming in order to sample before purchasing may be advisable.
In a pleasing gesture this recording is dedicated to the memory of Maurice
Abravanel. That’s a most seemly acknowledgement of the man who did so much
to put this orchestra on the musical map of America.
John Quinn
Previous review:
Dan Morgan
