I just listened, and here is an incomplete (in a technical sense) review:
Allegro Moderato: The opening is broad; ideal mix of speed and heft. The timpani are distant, but powerful-sounding. Lots of other percussion in there as well.
Alma Theme: expansive. Passionate, I would say. The strings dig into the music and during the brass passages Saraste moves things along just a bit faster, but pulls back again when the strings reenter. The cilesta is audible at the end of the Alma theme.
After the second repeat: Things progress pretty much in a straightforward manner. As noted before, percussion is audible; for example, one can hear the triangle and other percussion instruments near the end of the section, just before the cowbell theme. The cowbells are, overall, quiet but not inaudible. The French horn/violin duet near the end of the passage is particularly beautiful, especially in the French horn. Come to think of it, the playing throughout is wonderfully ritch. The music after the second slow passage is, in one word, energetic.
Scherzo:Saraste keeps this one moving, so the tempo variations are not as noticeable. No stops and starts here. Percussion is again quite audible, as is what sounded like a harp in the E flat minor treo section.
Andante: This one is just five seconds faster than Szell. The French horn solo is played well and the harp is prominent. The flute entrance immediately after that passage is loud but smooth. Percussion are again audible, and the cowbells in the first climax are more noticeable than in the first movement. Back to the flutes: When the melody turns to C major (just before the violin solo) the flute playing is gorgeous and quite noticeable, almost more so than the violin soloist a few measures later. The climax is passionate; the strings are gorgeous in this most important passage, and the percussion roars when it is called for. Saraste speeds up a bit at one point, like Rattle does, and it works.
Finale: The opening pages go pretty much as expected. While the church bells are not as audible as I have heard, other percussion instruments are and this fits with the previous three movements. The timpani in the G minor appearance of the fate motif are appropriately menacing. The movement gets underway with the first appearance of the march, and yet again I must mention the beautiful, chrisp string playing. Percussion during the march is definitely there, not just in the timps and symbols. The cowbells in the first interlude are more distant than in the Andante, which again fits with the context. The D major passage leading up to the first hammerblow is playd well at about an average tempo. The hammerblows are quite deep; they remind me of those in James Levine’s 2009 Boston Symphony recording, but there is a difference between the two. The “whipped” passage is as energetic and defiant as one could want. The second hammerblow is definitely more momentus than the first and is again deep in tone. The C minor interlude after the second hammer is played with care, and the cowbells are audible. Just before the piece is emerging into the final march, the trumpets are unusually quiet, but they are there. As has gone before, the final march is energetic with no hints given about the piece’s final outcome. The A major passage just before the collapse is definitely heavier, more intense. The third hammerblow (yes, there is a third hammer!!!) is definitely not as strong as the first two, but it is as Mahler wanted it. The ending brass passage is played at a farely normal tempo; the last chord is powerful but yet there is definitely a diminuendo there, again as were the composer’s wishes.
This Mahler Sixth is definitely one to get. It is a live recording, but you would never know it from the recording. The cowbells are not as audible, and the hammerblows are not the best, the trumpets are quiet quiet in that one spot near the end of the Finale, but this recording has many other redeeming qualities. The sonics are incredible; this recording is no close-up but it does not sound distant, either. This is not my favorite Mahler Sixth, but it is nevertheless a worthy addition to my library.
