Fast bits are great, but . . .
B. Guerrero | 12/10/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Boy, is this ever maddening, because the really fast parts are terrific throughout the performance. As a result, most of the second movement and all of the finale is really very good, as is the fast break-out passage from the middle of the first movement. But everytime the music turns soft and lyrical - or funereal, as in most of the first movement - we're really let down. Part of the problem is with Warner's live sonics, which are a bit shrill and thin with the upper half of the orchestra. That's also maddening because the double basses and bass drum (really important in the finale) are captured with a nice and full sound. But the midrange also suffers, as the unison horns sound as though they're playing off in the next county, in what appears to be a deliberate effort to make the trombones sound more up-front. As a result of that bit of oddness, the two big climaxes of the middle movement scherzo fall flat as a pancake, with the unison horns - followed with the solo horn answering them - sounding too distant to make the proper impact required. That too is a shame, because much of Oramo's pacing for the scherzo is right on the money - fast enough to keep things rolling along, but slow enough to capture the swagger or "lilt" of the waltz passages. I could be a bit more forgiving with this recording, if the famous Adagietto was truly special or, at the very least, something above the ordinary. Here, it's almost sub-standard, as is the abscence of sufficient color or gravity in the first movement's funeral cortege. In addition, some of the solo trumpet work leaves a bit to be desired in terms of tone quality and phrasing, especially in the first movement. If this truly is one of England's very top orchestras, they certainly don't sound it here. You can't blame the hall either because Birmingham's is supposed to be the best one in England - very similar to Meyerson Hall in Dallas. I want to like this more than I do because Sakari Oramo has already done some very nice work in Birmingham, especially with Sibelius and John Foulds - a rareity. But I'm afraid that Mahler 5 should have waited until Oramo could make a big dent in Birmingham's rather thin tonal profile, or at least until Warner is able to cough up better sound than they do here. It's a pity, considering just how exciting the faster sections are."
A Compelling Live Performance of the Mahler 5th Symphony fro
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 08/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo's reputation as a master of late 19th and early 20th Century symphonic literature is reinforced in this exciting account of the Mahler 5th Symphony in C sharp minor recorded from two live performances at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. It is a splendid performance that also confirms the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's well-deserved reputation as one of our finest symphony orchestras; a reputation forged painstakingly under the nearly two-decade leadership of former music director Sir Simon Rattle. Oramo offers a fast-paced interpretation that is among the swiftest I have encountered; it is one that musically makes much sense, emphasizing virtuoso playing from the orchestra's strings and brass without offering an interpretation that seems rushed and uninspired. To this listener, Oramo's pacing sounds just right in underscoring the complexities of orchestral color in this work. Indeed, Oramo excels in emphasizing the orchestra's strengths especially in the folk dance rhythms of the third movement (Scherzo), which may be regarded as the movement that's the focal point of this atypical five-movement symphony. Where I take issue with Oramo's interpretation is the somewhat less than menacing intonation from the trumpets in the first movement; which others - including Rattle in a memorable live performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra that I had heard at Carnegie Hall some years ago - have emphasized painstakingly. Otherwise, this fine recording remains a viable contender as one of the best Mahler 5th Symphony recordings in recent memory; if nothing else, it confirms the artistic importance of Oramo and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to the world of classical music.
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Track Listings (5) - Disc #1