Symphony No. 4 and Kindertotenlieder

Chronique

For the Mahler collector who feels an uncontrollable compulsion to hear every recording of the master's works ever made, this disc will be absolutely necessary. For them, the chance to hear newly issued recordings of Mahler's protégé Otto Klemperer leading the cheerful Fourth Symphony in 1956 and dreadful Kindentotenlieder in 1955 will be irresistible. But while these are by no means awful performances, they may still be hard to listen to even for the most dedicated Mahlerite. In the Fourth Symphony, the playing of the RIAS Sinfonieorchester Berlin is the largest part of the reason for this. While clearly a more than competent orchestra, the RIAS nevertheless sounds completely unfamiliar with Mahler's music -- and, what's worse, completely indifferent to it. The combination of warmth and irony intrinsic to the composer is totally absent from their playing, and even the immense force of Klemperer's conducting is unable to persuade them. A smaller part of the reason is that soprano Elfride Trötschel sounds weak, even awkward, in the Fourth's Finale, putting the capstone on a thoroughly disappointing performance. The performance of the Kindentotenlieder that follows, although by no means great, is at least much better. Aside from Klemperer's conducting, the main reason for this is baritone George London's rugged strength and reserved sensitivity. The lesser reason is the slightly more refined and marginally more sympathetic playing of the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester. While by no means the Wiener Philharmoniker, the players sound convinced by Klemperer and the music. For listeners coming to the Fourth Symphony or the Kindentotenlieder for the first time, this disc is entirely unsuitable. For listeners who already know both pieces like they know the back of their hand, this disc will be fascinating. Archipel's remastered air check sound is cleaner and clearer than one would have thought possible given the provenance of the recordings.
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