Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor "Tragic" (Live)

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Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in A minor comes with the subtitle "Tragic" and generally lives up to it in performance, with implacable militarism in the opening march and a truly grim conclusion. It has even been claimed that the work is prophetic of the First World War, but annotator Jörg Handstein here notes dryly that "[s]uch retrospective speculation cannot be substantiated," and there are other ways to approach the work than drenching the whole thing in tension and panic. That is good news for conductor Simon Rattle, who recorded the work twice with the Berlin Philharmonic; there needed to be a reason for this 2024 release with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, recorded live in the autumn of 2023. Fortunately, Rattle delivers one; his reading here is no copy of the 2018 Berlin Philharmonic version. It is not exactly a light Mahler Sixth, but neither is it a frenetic one, with the big percussion strokes in the first movement and the finale straightforward rather than shattering and a deeply, lyrical slow movement. The all-important finale is a study in light and shade; there are moments of great intensity, but they give way to equilibrium. This, of course, is another way of looking at Tragedy, and the reading is persuasive even if it may not be what one is expecting. Bavarian Radio's in-house label knows the ins and outs of Munich's Gasteig well by now, and the sound captures Mahler's always remarkable orchestration in full detail. This release will be of great interest to Rattle fans and those interested in a great conductor's ongoing engagement with a complex work. This release made classical best-seller lists in early 2024.

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