I like it, but you might not
B. Guerrero | 12/08/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As we all know, Roger Norrigton is an "informed period instrument practice" specialist (not a quotation). He's also a tad didactic, such as his insistance on no vibrato, even in the most lyrical of passages. Still, there's much to admire in his new recording of the Mahler 4th. For one thing, this is simply better recorded than his earlier Mahler 1st. I like it that Norrigton is faster than usual in several critical spots: the development section of the first movement (capped by a very audible tam-tam smash); all of the scherzo passages of the second movement, and the last section of the fourth movement ("kein musik ist nicht auf Erde . . Sanct Cecilia dazu lacht"). Like Bruno Walter, his is a faster and more "classical" view of the work. For me, the biggest improvement comes with the scherzo, which has been getting slower and slower over the years. Norrington points out that Mahler's 3/8 time signature means one beat to the bar, not three. I think he's right. Regardless, it just sounds correct and makes for a stronger contrast to the various trio sections, where Mahler's written portimenti (sliding between the notes on the fingerboard) are plainly audible. Norrigton makes one other correction, but one where I think he overshoots his mark. That correction is at the climax of the slow movement, where Norrigton tones down the timpani, but perhaps too much so (otherwise, executed with marvellous aplomb and excellent balance from the brass). Also a tad odd is the rapid and narrow vibrato of soprano Anu Komsi. One wonders if Norrigton is anachronistic enough to also pine for the singers of yesteryear - the ones with a rapid vibrato like Komsi. Regardless, she at least "yodels" her dotted-eighth/sixteenth note figures on "himmlischen", exaggerating the rhythm in the process ("wir geniessen die hiiiiiiii-i-iiiiiiii-i-iiiiiiiii-i-iiiiiiiiiii-mm-liiiishen freuden") - you get the idea. This is in stark contrast to the Tilson Thomas/SFSO Mahler 4th, where Laura Claycomb very lazily sings those same figures as triplets, capturing none of the youthful or rustic quality implied. Komsi also does a real number on the descending slide on "dazu" (near the end). It's much more believeable that she's a kid than most. It's not as ideal as having a youth who can truly deliver the goods (very few of them can), but I'll take Komsi over the long parade of other, overly cultured and sometimes too matronly sounding sopranos that have been thrown at this work. Still, it takes some getting used to her fast vibrato, which brings me to my last point.
I find Norrigton's strict no vibrato policy a bit too rigid and didactic when you consider the number of truly lyrical passages there are for the high strings (celli too), sprinkled throughout Mahler's ouvre. Yet, at the same time, I find this to be something of a non-issue when you also consider just how wind and percussion driven Mahler symphonies are in the long run. Therefore, it's obviously the slow movement, with it's long passages dominated by the strings, that the somewhat thin and wirery string sound gets a bit tiresome on the ear. On the other hand, the woodwinds seem far more forward in the recording's overall perspective than usual. Could that be because they don't have to compete against such a thick string sound? Hard to say, I think. Perhaps placing the double basses along the back wall led to the happy result of having the woowinds seated one tier closer to the front (there's a photo of this in the booklet). If that's the case, then Norrigton has also done a good job of not letting his brass dominate over everything. And, in fact, there does seem to be much care and dedication on the part of everyone involved - perhaps too much so in some spots.
I like this performance for its pacing. I think it's good to suddenly wake up at the start of the first movement's development section. I think it's good that the scherzo be fast and diabolical. I think it's good that the orchestral interruptions in the fourth movement, go like the wind. And I think it's good that the last section of the vocal movement, not fall asleep at the wheel before the symphony is over with. For you timing freaks (I'm one of them), here you go: I - 15:09; II - 8:35; III - 19:41; IV - 8:37. Perhaps this isn't a first recommendation by any measure. But if you're like me, and are tired of hearing the Mahler 4th just get slower and heavier by the year (my main complaint about Ben. Zander's equally didactic account), you could do far worse. Consider adding to this one to your collection then.
Bruno Walter redux (sort of) - sans vibrato, and with far better sound."
Astonishing
amc654 | Chicago, IL USA | 10/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An unbeatable recording of the work. I think that frankly it's far too easy to get hung up on the performance practice issues here -- it's an astonishing performance, beautifully performed, brilliantly recorded, and altogether special. It's flamboyant and exuberant and a bit extreme -- everything Mahler ought to be.
To approach this as some sort of academic exercise (sans vibrato, lots of portamento, etc.) would be to miss the point entirely. You simply won't be disappointed with this recording. It is very, very good!"
Not to be missed
MartinP | Nijmegen, The Netherlands | 08/06/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After having been impressed with his recording of the Ninth, I decided to give Norrington's Mahler IV a try too. I haven't regretted it - quite the contrary. Overall, I would rate this as one of the most tender and inspiring readings of this score I've ever come across, and I own a good many recordings of it, including the often recommended Szell, Maazel and Fischer.
Not that the first movement had me convinced right away. I was bothered by a sense of harshness, in part due to the close-up, high level recording, as I found out. Turning the volume down helped. Nevertheless, Norrington's view of this movement is hard-driven, very dramatic but also relentless, at times almost sinister. This may be quite apt, really, but the bucolic charm one associates with much of the material is lost. That said, many details are quite felicitous - the marvellously managed transition at #18, for instance. The several "eilend" passages where the music suddenly speeds up are very well done too. And even if the listener may have other ideas about the core message of this movement, I find that Norrington's approach is in itself very consistent. Oh, and for those who think the vibrato issue is of any relevance, while Norrington is a persistent (according to some, pesky) advocate of vibratoless 'pure tone', the big horn solo after #24 is played with lush vibrato; in other movements too vibrato is regularly heard in solo voices.
The second movement is brilliant. Simply that. After this, it felt as if nobody ever really grasped this piece before. Norrington draws it into a soundworld that is directly akin to the Scherzo from the Seventh and even the Purgatorio from the Tenth. It's beautiful and eerie at the same time, whereas the trio is delightfully cheeky. A pity then, that towards the end Norrington goes a bit overboard with a huge, unwritten ritenuto after #12, and a sudden, again unwritten acceleration a bit before #14 - though I have to hand it to him that while the former intervention sounds a bit lame, the latter works very effectively indeed.
Thus we arrive at the Adagio, and really, this disc is worth purchasing for that alone. The opening pages are intensely beautiful and serene. And while the long lines soar, you can delight in such lovely touches as the precisely realised swells in the oboe solo at #2, or the brief but telling C# in the flute grating softly against the oboe's C just before #3, details lost in most recordings. Also, Norrington isn't afraid of real glissandi. Just about everything is right in this movement; Norrington has the measure not just of it's peaceful side, but also of it's dark inner core. The desperate plunges into the abyss, like after #3, are heart wrenching. The accelarations are perfectly controlled and never threaten the unity of the piece. In the extraordinary Allegro section Norrington, unlike many others, has the balance exactly right, with a ff Glockenspiel to the fore and all the rest playing pp. The great climax is magnificent, weighty despite it's fairly fast speed, and comes to rest in an ethereal aftermath where the non-vibrato really pays off. In all, a very noble and moving reading.
How wonderful that after all that beauty the finale doesn't stumble over a bad choice of soloist, as so often happens. Anu Komsi is a new name to me, but she is just about perfect for the part. Her voice is fresh and clear, with no undue wobble, and has a nice boyish edge to it in the lower regions. She positively yodels her way through the opening line, and the effect is delightful: this is what Mahler wrote. But with equal ease she touches on the quiet mystery of the repeated closing turn ("Sanct Peter im Himmel sieht zu"). The accompaniment leaves nothing to be desired, and from #12 onward is particularly sweet and lovely. The rendering of the final stanza is second to no other that I know in tenderness, and is extremely moving. After an aptly respectful pause very well deserved applause bursts in.
All these delights come to you in very detailed, very clear sound, as usual from this source. In short: get this forthwith!"
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1