Mahler: Symphony No. 1. - Webern: Im Sommerwind

Album review

Conductor François-Xavier Roth is perhaps best known for his association with the French chamber orchestra Les Siècles, and his period-style recordings on original instruments have made him a leader in the movement for historically informed performances. However, for this recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major, Roth leads the SWR Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg in a straightforward interpretation on conventional instruments, suggesting that this live performance is mainstream, rather than a re-creation of what Mahler might have heard in his time. To the extent that Roth uses the published score of the symphony, and even eschews the insertion of the "Blumine" movement that enjoyed a vogue around the millennium, this should be regarded as authentic, insofar as that term can be applied to late 19th century works. This is welcome news to listeners who enjoy the meticulous playing and clarity of timbres that many period performances deliver, but don't require that the instrumentation, seating arrangements, or scale of the orchestra actually match what was typical in the 1890s. This performance of the First is coupled with Anton Webern's lush idyll, Im Sommerwind, which is one of his most approachable pieces in a tonal, post-Romantic vein. Hänssler's recording is clear and spacious, and most details can be heard, though the orchestra seems a little muted or distant in soft passages.
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