Jeffrey Grubin | Newington, CT United States | 05/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I own 11 versions of Mahler's "tragic" symphony, and I must say that this is near the top of my list at about #3 or #4. It is recorded in amazingly clear sound. The four sections (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) are all captured vividly. I usually don't take to fast first movements of the 6th, but here I can tolerate it because there is much energy and the Atlanta Symphony plays magnificently. The second and third movements were also done very well. The hammer blows in this recording are two of the best I have ever heard; it sounds like bombs are going off! However, I will give this recording only 4 stars out of 5 for three reasons. One, even though I'm a trombone player, I feel that the trombones and the whole brass section in general were sticking out too much at times, destroying the polyphony that is so important in Mahler's music. Two, there is no exposition repeat in the first movement. If this was because Levi wanted to emphasize the tragic fall of the hero in the last movement, then fine, but I think the repeat was cut in order to fit the symphony one one disc. I feel that the repeat is needed because the major-minor motif that is so important in this symphony needs to be emphasized. Besides, Mahler called for it! Third, after the second hammer blow, it seemed like Levi lost his way and the energy that was flowing so well throughout this performance seemed to be lost somewhat. It sounded like the musicians were tiring, as this is an exhausting work. This makes the ending almost anticlimatcic. Despite these shortcomings, this is a very fine performance of Mahler 6 and one that I am glad to have in my collection. I would put Boulez's recording on DG ahead of this one because he doesn't miss a step through the whole thing.My favorite version, Chailly conducting the Concertgebouw, is only available in Europe, unfortunately. I was able to acquire it through a friend, and it has the loudest hammerblows I have ever heard (even better than the Atlanta recording). Also, it doesn't have any of the shortcomings that I listed for Atlanta. I hope it is made available in the United States soon because I feel that it is one of the best kept secrets of Mahler!"
Tragic to not own this disc.
D. Seymour | Atlanta, GA USA | 01/31/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All right, I confess, I love this recording. I love what both Mahler and Levi manage to coax out of the ASO: the pulsating fate motives that every once in a while culminate in a passage of such delicate beauty, the tension between the different sections of the orchestra and especially the exquisitely painful climaxes. Mahler is not my favorite composer, but this symphony speaks to me. It has all the elements of dark brooding which I love and even some lyrical splendor. Telarc's sonics are outstanding! They allow the orchestra to hit you like a ton of bricks. This is one to play with the volume as loud as the neighbors will tolerate. If you love music that conjures emotional images - buy this disc."
Levi's best Mahler
D. Seymour | 12/19/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have all of Levi's Mahler CDs (and 20 performances of the 6th) and for me this is easily his highlight. However, whether this disc is for you or not will be determined by your reaction to the first movement. First of all, the exposition repeat is omitted, which is a big deal to some. Second, Levi's tempo in the opening march is faster than any that I know of (other sections are played at more normal speeds, so the overall time of this movement doesn't reflect the march pace, which is quicker than even Bernstein/Sony and Kubelik)...it is definitely outside of the bounds of the composers instructions. Me? I like it, I find that the opening movement can work well with a quick march, and it does here. The remaining movements are done fairly conventionally, but given that they are performed quite well. The sound is very good. As usual, the Atlanta Symphony plays wonderfully.This might not be an ideal choice for your only 6th, but provides a provactive alternative view."
Deserves five stars for the finale alone
MartinP | Nijmegen, The Netherlands | 04/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Sixth is probably my favourite Mahler symphony. No matter how much you admire the other works, with the possible exception of the Ninth and Das Lied they all show up their share of weaknesses. Not so the Tragic, which is a lapidary monument to the power of music if ever there was one. To put this review in context I'll list the recordings I own, namely: Barbirolli; Bernstein (DG); Boulez; Abbado (Berlin); Chailly; Zander (Telarc); Rattle; Tilson Thomas; Gielen; Inbal; Eschenbach; Gergiev; Karajan; and Jansons (KCO and LSO). Of these, Eschenbach, Karajan, and Bernstein are my favourites - and Levi joins them, no doubt about that.
The playing of the Atlanta orchestra is simply breathtaking. I knew this from their excellent Fourth, but here they are even better. Levi himself is a clearheaded conductor committed to the letter of the score, and as a result gives you much more Mahler than some others do in the same work. Finally, Telarc's engineering is exemplary: rich and colourful sound from the lowest right up to the highest regions (great bass drum!); ample detail; a vast dynamic range capable of conveying truly shattering climaxes as well as velvety pianissimo's; and a natural, realistic soundstage with instruments firmly placed.
Levi tears into the Sixth at a fierce pace. It works wonders for the march, which others too often turn into a dirge; but it is perhaps a tad hurried for the "Alma" theme, which Mahler wants played at the same tempo. The result is a sense of nervous excitement which you may or may not like; I didn't find it at all unsuitable: the first movement felt to me like a dizzying roller coaster ride. The pulling about of the tempo in the second theme I did find unsuitable, but fortunately such interventions are a rarity with Levi. The exposition repeat is omitted, a regrettable choice I think. This is the only repeat sign you'll find in a Mahler score after the First symphony, and you can be sure it is there for a reason. Balancing the overall weight of the movement against that of the huge finale is one. Stressing the fact that this is Mahler's most consciously (and brilliantly) "architectural" symphony is another. Dropping it has been a conscious choice: in fact a version with repeat was taped at the recording sessions! Did Telarc insist on a version that fitted on one disc? Or was the choice artistically rather than commercially motivated? It should be noted that in many much admired (if IMO overrated) older recordings of this work the repeat was routinely skipped (cf. Barbirolli, Kubelik, Szell...). Whatever the reasons, the artistry and commitment of Levi and his players are such that I found to my surprise that the movement doesn't feel at all truncated or lightweight.
The Scherzo is exactly as it should be, its dark, ominous mood and stinging sarcasm caught to perfection. Tempos are well-chosen and unexaggerated. You can trust Levi to take note of the fact that the title "Altvaterisch" refers to the character of the episodes thus named, not their tempo which, as Mahler clearly indicates, is only slightly slower than that of the Scherzo proper - moreover, it is marked "Grazioso", and so Levi has it. Later, when things turn truly sinister (#78) Levi knows exactly how to make your skin crawl; only Bernstein is his equal here.
If there is room for debate it is with regard to the Andante, where Levi doesn't quite get in touch with its unearthly, cool beauty the way Eschenbach, for one, does. The tempo is fractionally too slow and parts of the movement sound too much like paraphrased fragments of the Fifth's Adagietto. The exposition seems to lack drive and comes across as uneventful. Fortunately, things pick up after that; overall the playing is beautiful, and some moments I found genuinely touching; I loved the anguished cry of the trumpet just before #93, which many others allow to be drowned out by the surrounding excitement.
The performance culminates in one of the most overwhelming readings of the immense finale I ever heard. Levi brings across its tremendous scale and power unerringly, almost entirely without loss of momentum at any point. There is a sense of constant crescendo and accumulating tension that made my hair stand on end. Yet the relaxed interludes, where the tormented main material is offset by a po-faced humming-tune, are perfectly paced and blend in naturally (e.g at #117). The gear-changes surrounding the second hammer blow follow Mahler's instruction for a big slow-down to the letter, and to harrowing effect; when the fateful blow itself falls it's truly as if something snaps. Better than many others, too, Levi makes us hear how close the movement comes to achieving a triumphant climax, just before the whole edifice collapses into utter despair. The brass are sublime throughout this demanding piece, and more than make up for maybe an occasional slight lack of bite in the woodwinds (surely the "Feurig" at #135 could have done with a little more fire?). That said, there should be a Nobel Prize for clarinet playing to bestow upon the first clarinettist. The strings may not provide the luxurious washes of sound you might hear from Berlin, Vienna or Amsterdam, but they are second to none in power and passion. The hammer blows are extremely realistic and well-defined, even if they don't entirely live up to the sensational warning Telarc felt compelled to print on the CD cover. If only Levi had found some deep bells, as Mahler asks, instead of the regular tubular bells he now uses, perfection would have been achieved. But I'm not complaining, for this is as near perfection as we may hope to come on the right side of the hereafter.
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1
