royal concetgebouw orchestra amsterdam

Jansons is one of my favourite conductors of Mahler around today and he's made some rather special recordings (a great 1st with and very good 2nd and 9th with the Oslo Philharmonic).

I heard him do the 5th a couple of months ago with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and in a lot of ways it was stunning (it got a standing ovation from many in the audience). While I enjoyed it very much, I wasn't entirely swept away. I thought the first two movements were out of this world, and utterly draining, and the Bavarian's principle trumpet played a difficult role as well as I think I'm ever likely to hear it. However, for me the 5th is a problematic work, the first two movements are stunning, the 4th is lovely but the finale doesn't quite have the same inherent power as the opening two and can easily be anti-climactic. Jansons didn't fall into that trap, but I don't think he completely convinced me of the middle movement as linking the first and last two.

The 6th is another matter. He places the second and third movements andante-scherzo, which I much prefer. He's recorded the work twice, once with the LSO and more recently with the Concertgebouw. The latter has better sound quality but I find the former the more compelling performance. Actually, I think both his RCO Mahler recordings (he's also done the 1st) slightly disappointing next to their earlier ones. In the case of the Oslo recordings, they came towards the end of a 20 year association with the orchestra and as often is the case, by that time there was a rather special bond that comes across. I don't quite feel he has that with the Concertgebouw yet (though that will doubtless come with time if it hasn't already - the recordings I have are a couple of years old now).


regards, Tam

tam, know what you mean about the 5th - some incredible composing, the adagio is amazing as a stand alone movement, but perhaps it doesn't hang together in some way - the whole is less than the parts? supposedly gustav had his new bride alma in mind when he composed parts of it ... or perhaps i just haven't seen the light yet. but i can't imagine a better rendering than i just heard. greatly looking forward to the 6th next week. btw, i like inbals' version rather well. have a few others that seem a little chaotic (which can happen easily w/ mahler). in any case, hearing mahler live by a world class orchestra at a one-of-a-kind hall is, for me, a "peak experience." best, artie