Mahler Symphony No. 7

Chronique

Recordings of the great Bernard Haitink have been coming out of the vaults since his death in 2021, and it is easy to see why the BR Klassik label was drawn to this 2011 performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 7 in E minor, recorded live at the Gasteig in Munich. Haitink was a renowned Mahler conductor, bringing precision and a marvelous sense of the long line to Mahler's vast scores. In Haitink's hands, the symphonies didn't seem long, and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks plays well, with the horn section holding together beautifully in the big finale. The two Nachtmusik movements, especially the second one, are traced in delicate instrumental filigrees. All this said, Haitink has recorded the Symphony No. 7 multiple times in the past, and this version is unlikely to become anyone's go-to. The first movement just fails to catch fire, and although BR Klassik has made some of the best live recordings on the market in recent years, they weren't quite there in 2011; the sound is indistinct and gives the strings an unpleasant tang. Nevertheless, for Haitink fans, there are many things here to appreciate.

© James Manheim /TiVo