I know, I know - everybody gets tired of this site being an annex of Dave Hurwitz. I don't blame any of you for feeling that way. But I think it's interesting that has so much positive to say about this particular release. As always, D.H. explains precisely why he feels the way he feels. I certainly want to give Dudamel's M5 a good listen. Here goes:
GUSTAV MAHLER
Symphony No. 5
Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela
Gustavo Dudamel
Deutsche Grammophon- B0009837-02(CD)
Reference Recording - Levine (RCA); Barshai (Laurel); Bernstein (DG); Karajan (DG)
Gustavo Dudamel's Mahler Fifth is much more successful than his previous Beethoven release with the same orchestra. I do think it's time, however, that critics stopped saying that the ensemble plays very well "for a youth orchestra". It does play well, but the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela, as it's properly called, consists of the best musicians from a vast network of "training" orchestras, plus their teachers, and has as much experience under its belt as just about any professional group. Beyond that, it should be no surprise that young people play so well these days. One of the very finest Mahler Fifth Symphonies on disc, Barshai's, also was made with a "youth" orchestra. Interestingly, the word "youth" does not appear in the ensemble's correct Spanish name. Who put it there? DG? Does someone think it helps for marketing purposes (the classical music world always has been a sucker for freaks and prodigies).
Never mind. The orchestra plays extremely well for the most part, save (as previously) for a certain lack of character in the woodwind section. Dudamel also conducts much as before. In a nutshell, loud equals fast, soft equals slow. This works much better in Mahler than in Beethoven, but there's no question that Dudamel already risks becoming predictably tedious unless he learns how to phrase a quiet melody simply, flowingly, and without affectation. This lack causes problems in a few places: the woodwind-only recap of the funeral march's main theme; the second movement's second subject, the contrasting slow bits of the scherzo, and of course in the Adagietto, which sounds dead at this very slow tempo (nearly 11 minutes) until the strings have a chance to play out and really sing. I get the concept: trance-like, with carefully graded soft dynamics, but it's too much of a good thing.
Hopefully this habit is something he'll grow out of eventually, and even so it's not a consistent problem. The very first statement of the funeral march theme, for example, is played beautifully, with careful attention to dynamics and lots of atmosphere. And those loud parts are simply exciting as hell. The second movement's opening is thrilling, the onslaught of the recapitulation positively cataclysmic. The scherzo bubbles along infectiously, with fine playing from the solo horn. Dudamel does rush the climax a bit, as he also does the big chorale toward the end of the second movement, but I doubt anyone will begrudge him his enthusiasm. Best of all, the finale is magnificent, one of the more successful versions on disc. It has drive, clarity (the huge string section, with its 12 basses, certainly helps), and a truly powerful coda. The sonics, as in the Beethoven release, are a touch dry, but otherwise are perfectly fine. This is a bit of mixed bag, but unlike Dudamel's Beethoven there's more than enough here to excite the interest of collectors.
Topic: D.H. gives Dudamel M5 an 8/8 review (performance/sound) (Read 3997 times)