I've received more burnt copies for Ashkenazy's Mahler with the Sydney S.O. As with pretty much ALL Mahler coming out these days, the playing and sound quality are pretty much first rate. Ashkenazy is pretty much a non-interventionist who allows Mahler's music to speak for itself. The results may be somewhat predictable, but they're also - so far - entirely consistent.
"DLvdE" is a fine recording that benefits from a knock-out performance in "der Abschied" from mezzo Lilli Paasikivi. If you're not familiar with her, she made a very fine CD of the complete Alma Mahler lieder (Simax?). For us gong heads, there could have been a bit more tam-tam throughout the funereal orchestral passage, located about half-way through. Still, it's there, and the funeral procession is fine in every other aspect (rhythm being the most important). There's also plenty of mandolin near the end. Like Michelle De Young, Paasikivi makes a genuine effort not to blow everybody out of the room in that final section - the business about the earth turning all blue and green, and all that good stuff (Mahler indicates nothing to modify his previous dynamic marking of piano). In fact, I really feel that this is easily the best "Das Lied" since the Oue one on Reference Recordings. In addition, I think the Sydney woodwinds are slightly better than their Minnesota counterparts. Stuart Skelton does an adequate, if not exactly outstanding job during his difficult, tenor vs. orchestra wars.
Mahler 1: folks, this is the way that M1 should get programmed each and every time: M1; "Blumine"; "Songs Of A Wayfarer". This is so obvious that I can't imagine why it's taken all these decades for some producer to figure this out. We've had M1 with Blumine and M1 with "LefG", but never all three on the same disc. Again, these are solid, straight forward performances that are fully satisfying (during the last 30 seconds of the finale, a tad more bass drum roll under the unison horns' ascending "whoops" would have been welcomed, but it's there). The two inner movements, in particular, are very well characterized; the slow movement clocking in at a perky nine and a half minutes. Baritone Markus Eiche does a fine job on the "Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen", if not exactly erasing memories of the young Fischer-Dieskau, or Frederica von Stade's earlier recording with Andrew Davis. Taken as a whole, this disc is more than satisfactory.
The BIG surprise for me was the Mahler 5, as I had expected something much more bland. The brass playing was truly good throughout. I also appreciated hearing the muted snare drum (snares switched off) underneath the first movement's funeral cortege. Soft percussion was good in general. What I particularly liked was Ashkenazy's handling of the last several minutes of the finale. The brass were strong and resilient throughout the whole chorale tune, but you could easily hear the strings underneath too (no stupid ritard. before where Mahler asks for one either!). For me, this is the best M5 since Markus Stenz's first one from New Zealand. Apparently, Ashkenazy didn't receive the memo that states that the Adagietto should clock-in at less than 10 minutes, as he stretches it to a full 11 minutes. But the strong finale easily made up for that.
Anyway, my Ashkenazy/DSO Berlin M3 should show up any day now (I like the timings), and I'll bet that his Sydney one will be quite good as well. The Sydney one will probaby have the stronger brass, but the DSO Berlin has proven to be a good Mahler orchesta as well.
Ashkenazy? . . . who would have thunk it!?!
Topic: Surprisingly good Mahler from Ashkenazy (M1/M5/DLvdE) (Read 7583 times)