Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 6 in A minor (1903-04) [81:08]
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Markus Stenz
rec. live, 10-12 November 2013, Kölner Philharmonie, Germany
stereo/multi-channel
OEHMS CLASSICS OC 651 [38:29 + 42:39]
The finishing line for Markus Stenz’s Mahler cycle is getting closer.
According to the conductor’s website there’s to be a final release very soon which
will couple the Ninth and ‘the fragment’ of the Tenth. I’m sorry to find
that Stenz has not decided to record one of the completed ‘performing
versions’ of the Tenth and I’m even more disappointed that it appears there
is to be no recording of Das Lied von der Erde. Stenz leaves
Cologne at the end of the 2013/14 season after ten years with the
Gürzenich-Orchester and I presume the main focus of his attentions will now
be the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he’s been Chief
Conductor since the 2012/13 season.
Stenz’s fine recording of the Seventh Symphony, the previous instalment in
the cycle (review), brought one important change: that was a live
recording whereas so far as I know all the previous volumes had been set
down under studio conditions. This new Sixth is also live and I think it
comes from the last concert performances of Mahler that Stenz and the
orchestra gave in Cologne.
It’s been interesting to hear this Stenz reading shortly after reviewing a live recording of the same symphony, made in
2011, by Lorin Maazel. The impression that I take away from the performances
is that the overall tone of Maazel’s is a bit darker and grimmer than
Stenz’s: one might describe it as heavier, though this is not to suggest
that Stenz’s performance is in any way lightweight. Maazel’s reading is also
somewhat more expansive at times – his performance takes 8 minutes longer
overall – but sometimes this expansiveness occurs because he slows down to
make an expressive point. Generally, these instances of slowing down don’t
detract from the overall integrity of Maazel’s reading but Stenz’s
performance is free of such momentary distortions and I welcome that. I find
both performances very impressive, though different in conception.
Stenz starts the first movement at a powerful and well-judged pace which
is pretty similar to Maazel’s. However, once past the opening paragraphs he
moves the music forward a bit more than his older colleague – the ‘Alma’
theme surges ecstatically, for instance. The music is strongly defined and
projected by the Cologne orchestra. One difference between the two
recordings is that the sound of the cowbells is much less easy to hear on
the Stenz recording; indeed, when they appear in the first movement I had to
strain my ears to be sure the sound was actually there. I can only think
that Stenz made a deliberate decision regarding dynamics because the
cowbells are much more ‘present’ in the Andante movement than they
are in either the first or last movements. In the Maazel performance we hear
them at a pretty consistent volume in each movement and I prefer this;
Mahler wrote them into the score for a purpose and one needs to be aware of
each interjection. There’s urgency and a great sense of sweep to Stenz’s
account of the first movement and the final pages have a fierce exaltation.
Overall, I don’t think his vision of this movement is as grim as Maazel’s –
though I find both views convincing in their own terms – and dare I suggest
this might be the vision of a younger man? However, be in no doubt: there’s
no lack of power in Stenz’s performance.
Stenz is one of those conductors who believe that the Andante
moderato movement should be placed second. My own preference is to hear
it after the scherzo, an ordering which I feel makes more sense for a number
of reasons, though I recognise the force of the argument that the
Andante-Scherzo ordering represented Mahler’s last thoughts on the subject
and should be respected. Stenz conveys the warm, lyrical nostalgia of the
music but, though this is the mood for much of the movement, there are some
impassioned passages and these are splendidly done here. In particular, the
extended climax (from 10:45) is really ardent and urgent in Stenz’s hands,
after which he brings the music to rest in the closing pages with expert
judgement. The Scherzo is vivid and biting. The rhythms are strongly
articulated, whether the dynamics are loud or soft, and one senses that
Stenz, having worked with this orchestra for a good number of years now, can
easily obtain an authentically Mahlerian sound. The trio, marked
altväterisch by Mahler, does indeed sound “old-fashioned” with the
players relishing the piquancy of the scoring and also investing the music
with delicacy. I have a slight quibble that there is only a minimal gap
between the end of the scherzo and the start of the last movement: a gap of
even a few seconds longer would have been preferable.
I’ve not commented so far on the quality of the recorded sound. This is
the first recording in this series to which I’ve been able to listen as an
SACD while reviewing. The results are very impressive indeed and nowhere
more so than in the huge finale. Stenz’s ear for Mahlerian detail, the skill
of the players and the technical prowess of the engineers mean that we hear
the opening of the finale with great clarity; an abundance of detail is
audible, demonstrating the great originality of Mahler’s invention and
scoring in this remarkable introduction. As the great drama of Mahler’s
finale unfolds Stenz conducts with great urgency – indeed, electricity would
not be too strong a word. His approach is not as weighty as some – Maazel,
for one – but it is still very powerful. I don’t know how the hammer blows
(at 12:52 and 16:51) are achieved but the sound produced is a very loud,
dull thud which seems highly effective to me. As I listened there were some
instances when I wondered if Stenz was pushing the music on a bit more
urgently than I might have liked – for example in the passage between the
two hammer blows – but I found myself caught up in the drama of his
conception and the sense almost of peril. This is a heat of the moment
performance, which leads to a shattering ending, and I found it gripping and
highly persuasive.
This is a compelling reading of Mahler’s Sixth and one of the high points
of Stenz’s cycle. The playing is superb throughout and the engineers have
done a fine job, producing sound of great clarity, depth and range. I now
look forward to hearing what Markus Stenz and this fine orchestra bring to
the Ninth.
John Quinn
Markus Stenz’s Maher cycle on MusicWeb International
Symphony No 1
Symphony No 2
Symphony No 3
Symphony No 4
Symphony No 5
Symphony No 7
Symphony No 8
Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Masterwork Index: Symphony
6
Tony
Duggan’s Survey of recordings of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony
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