There is also an Ivan Fischer/BFO Mahler 3 coming out this year, as well as his 7th. I emailed Channel Classics asking about the 7th, they said it's still coming, they are just going with the 3rd first. Hopefully he gets his swagger back with these two. I am looking forward to both of them.
I almost pulled the trigger on the Adam Fischer 7th just after Christmas. Instead I picked up an amazing Die Frau Ohne Schatten with Wiegle and Frankfurt. Maybe we can get another Mahler recording from Francois Xavier-Roth this year. His recording of the first from a few years ago was really enjoyable to me.
I found Mahler's Ninth with BFO/Fischer, their latest release, very nice and I am looking forward to M3 and M7.
Years ago I wrote to Channel Classics enquiring about their project about recording Mahler's Symphonies with BFO/Fischer. At that time M2, M4 and M6 were available and they replied having spoken of recording M1, M3 and M5 in the future. When I read BFO/Fischer were touring with M7, I thought they were preparing to record it, but, after a while, M1 was released. It was a bit peculair in certain details, but excellent and wonderfully recorded. I had great, perhaps too high expectations for M5, but it turned out to be a spectacular disappointment (I found it even disappointing on the technical side of the recorded sound). It made me wonder what's wrong with this symhony that so many conductors can't get it right.
According to an interview of 2006, Ivan Fischer, "Not a fan of complete cycles, he’d rather only conduct those works that he has a truly deep connection with and leave the others to other conductors. He admits straightaway that there are already so many full cycles that there is no point in just doing another one. The symphony of Mahler’s that he is less fond of than the others is – not surprising for a ‘Mahlerian’ - the pompous glory-feast (my words, not his) that is the Eight Symphony. This very complicated, complex, monumental work (his words, not mine) is “not his cup of tea”." (
http://ionarts.blogspot.it/2006/10/interview-with-ivan-fischer.html)
After reading that Bernard Haitink, interviewied by the Gramophone Magazine, said that because Mahler is such a special composer, recordings of his music should be rare and then went on to become the world champion of Mahler recordings, I am a bit skeptical about Fischer's words. Moreover, while 7 years ago at Channel Classic's project was limited to Symphonies No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, a Ninth is just available and they are confirmed to Mr. Vehemence that, after the Third, they will record the Seventh. I find it difficult to think they will resist the temptation to cap the palace with the big dome of the Eight.
