Mahler, G.: Symphony No. 6 (Gustav Mahler)

Album review

Following his successful 2007 recordings of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3, Bernard Haitink once again triumphs with a spectacular 2008 release on CSO Resound of Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in A minor, "Tragic," a rich offering that admirers of the composer and the conductor will surely relish. Assembled from four concert dates in October 2007, the recording is thrilling for its intensity of expression, wide sonic range, and the brilliant sonorities of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble well-versed in this symphony from the glory days of Georg Solti's leadership. Furthermore, Haitink's mature interpretation is as potent and soul-searing as his predecessor's, and as exciting as any Mahlerian could wish. From the relentless, warlike march of the first movement through the sardonic grotesqueries of the Scherzo, then from the plaintive lyricism of the Andante moderato to the catastrophic hammer blows of the Finale, Mahler's terrifying and rapturous visions are fully realized in this performance, and the humanity of this work is revealed in all its pain and passion. Add to this the extreme clarity and depth of CSO Resound's stunning reproduction and it's difficult to imagine a more attractive or compelling presentation. Giving serious competition to Valery Gergiev's extraordinary recording of the symphony on LSO Live, dating from the same year, Haitink's rendition wins equally high ratings and is enthusiastically recommended as one of the finest recordings of the year.
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