Mahler: Symphony No. 7

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Michael Tilson Thomas (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00000K2EP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,991 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 7: Nachtmusik: Andante amoroso

2. Symphony No. 7: Rondo - Finale: Tempo I - Allegro ordinario

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

No doubt about it, this is one of the finest Sevenths ever recorded. At no point does it feel like the conductor is simply letting the music go off on its own. Every single phrase has a purpose and is executed with intent. The playing is of course, faboulous. Don't miss out on this one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best recording of Mahler 7 after Bernstein, March 28, 2004

By 

Prescott Cunningham Moore (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

Who would have thought that Michael Tilson Thomas and the London Symphony orchestra would produce the best digital recording of Gustav Mahler's difficult 7th symphony. But indeed, MTT has given us here a recording that will stand the test of time.

Mahler's 7th symphony is a difficult work to perform, conduct, and understand. Its length of nearly eighty minutes, the huge orchestral forces needed to carry out the work, and the complexity of the writing all have contributed to this symphony being the least performed and understood of all of Mahler's works. But it need not be. The general move from the E-minor introduction to one of Mahler's brightest finale's in C-major is very striking. The two night pieces, one dark, one light, offer beautiful pastoral sketches of the austrian country side. The menacing scherzo, although difficult, acts as a mysterious vision into the future. The symphony is filled with rich themes and Mahler's most brilliant and inspired orchestration. All in all, the 7th need not be the misunderstood work that it is. It has all of Mahler's hallmarks - rich themes, large climaxes, complex, but logical forms - but seems more modern and enigmatic than his other works.

MTT handles this complex work masterfully. He allows the opening motif on tenor horn to unfold naturally, flowing into the main theme of the allegro. The allegro is wonderfully paced, especially the developmental interludes, which unfurl themselves mysteriously in MTT's hands. The two night pieces are wonderfully played; MTT brings out all the nuances in part writing. The scherzo, the only movement that gives MTT some trouble, is still played convincingly. The finale is powerful, grand, and executed with acute articulation and intelligence. The percussion is lively, the winds crisp, the brass well balanced, and the strings richly thick. Overall, Michael Tilson Thomas gives an extremely intellectual, yet extremely dramatic and pleasing reading of this symphony. Highly recommend. This version is preferable to MTT's recent, disappointing rendition with the San Francisco Symphony which pales in comparison.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely satisfying, August 14, 2002

By 

George Grella "Urbane citizen" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

This is an excellent performance of Mahler's problematic symphony 7. In fact, Tilson Thomas leads with such forward moving cohesiveness and focus that the problems disappear!

Many conductors have problems integrating the varied movements, producing a 'Concerto for Orchestra' feeling that is episodically rewarding, but no more. Through judicial use of tempo, which Tilson Thomas has really shown himself a master of in Mahler, and mood, the evocative parts become a real whole, and the peformance succeeds in an argument for this as a fully accomplished Mahler work. Technically, the playing is supremely polished and expressive, and the recording is superb, one of the better digital orchestra recordings available. This is as good in conception as the Bernstein Mahler 7 recordings, and better in terms of sound and playing quality. Strongly recommended!