One is extremely fast, the other extremely slow. I'll take the really fast one. Seriously, the Gergiev M6 is better than I had anticipated.
Yes, it starts out with a very fast march. But there's also sufficient contrast when the so-called "Alma" theme first enters. Cowbells are a tad too distant in this recording (except in the slow movement, where they're onstage). But Gergiev whips up the tempo for the end of the movement as well. I like that there's plenty of suspended cymbal at that big cadence point located just 20 seconds, or so, from the end of the movement.
II - Andante Moderato. Thank goodness somebody can observe that this is NOT an adagio. The word "langsam" (slow) isn't even mentioned in the score! As a result, I think that the first four to five minutes of this movement sound so much more alive. Gergiev is excellent with the first Alpine scene: ascending, unison horns; cowbells (on-stage); solo trumpet; trilling violins - it all simply couldn't have been better. When approaching the climactic plateau of the this movement, unfortunately, I don't hear the cowbells nearly so well. But as always, the LSO horns are excellent, and the high strings sound nicer than I had anticipated.
III - Scherzo. Aside from Rattle's, this the best scherzo I've ever heard. The numerous tempo shifts are executed in a sudden and striking manner - everything turns on a dime, just as it should. Sound effects are played up, so that the movement comes across quite spooky, as well as nervous. Let's face, this is halloween music.
IV - Finale. Again, better than I had anticipated. The slow, introductory section is much better than it is under Haitink. The numerous fast sections are, indeed, quite fast. I like it that Gergiev really builds up the tempo before approaching the first hammerstroke (and there's sufficient hammer here), but approaches the second hammerstroke - with all of the option percussion thrown in, by the way - with great trepidation i.e. slowly!! I think this greatly helps in distinguishing the difference between the two strokes (no third one employed). The final Allegro "charge" section is terrific - as good as I've ever heard it done. And then, here's the clincher - the real deal breaker for me:
Like Haitink, Gergiev really brings out the horns at the (false) victory parade passage (my description of it). But unlike Haitink, Gergiev also really underlines the percussion underneath the horns and sweeping violins. In fact, the LSO percussion truly outplay their Chicago counterparts from start to finish. To be honest, the timpani bang and pound a little too often for my taste. But hey, the timpani playing is truly very good, in general. My only complaint about Gergiev's finale, is that he does the very ending of the symphony rather swiftly - the final A-minor chord outburst (I prefer it slow, like Chailly).
I can actually believe that Haitink's LSO M6 - the one that you guys are so fond of - is actually better than the Chicago one. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that's truly superior about the CSO are their low strings (always a bit lighter with the LSO), and the tuba (Gene Pokorny vs. Patrick Harrold). I think that the LSO percussion play up to their brass, where as I always get the impression that the CSO percussion are expected to keep a slightly lower profile. The woodwinds are equally so-so in both orchestras (not their strong suit - either orchestra).
Another "telling" moment is right at the first hammer-stroke. The CSO trumpets take over and dominate everything. On the LSO recording, the trumpets aren't nearly so loud, so you can hear all the swirling nonsense underneath them. Thus, there's a greater sense of chaos at that point. Again, the CSO are just loud without things being sufficiently prepped. You have no idea why everybody is blasting so loudly. With Gergiev, the narrative makes better sense.
Timings: I - 22:00; Andante - 13:53; Scherzo - 12:34; Finale - 28:45
Barry
