Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minor

Mahler (Composer), Gerard Schwarz (Conductor), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
• Conductor: Gerard Schwarz
• Composer: Mahler
• Audio CD (June 24, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Artek
• ASIN: B0018D89EC
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,524 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Fanfare Magazine, Lynn Rene Bayley, October 2008

Generally speaking, Mahler's late symphonies--except for No. 8, which is extremely popular because of its splendid exhibitionism, despite its complexity--are not only unpopular but also extremely difficult to bring off well, and the Seventh has always been considered the most difficult of all. Only a handful of conductors, among them Kubelík, Abbado, and Boulez, seem to have managed to solve this hardest of Mahler's musical puzzles. All three of the conductors named were able to do so because they reveled in its grotesqueries, yet were able to knit its disparate elements together, and even they do not always succeed (or succeed equally) in each of the performances they lead.

As I write these introductory words, I am in fact listening to Rafael Kubelík conduct the symphony, the performance of February 28, 1981, with the New York Philharmonic that is generally considered to be his finest. All the swirling details of the score are brought out clearly, yet each and every element is knitted together splendidly and woven into a tapestry that touches the spirit and evokes a world of different moods. Kubelík's tempos, in this performance especially, were rather slow, yet they never sound slow; he maintains momentum, no matter how convoluted the texture or how difficult the rhythms, and sustains tension despite his slowness.

Switching to Schwarz, one hears a performance 10 minutes faster than Kubelík's. There is less rubato, more of a linear concept. It is played with great feeling, however--something I did not hear in Schwarz's readings of the First and Ninth symphonies--and although not quite as fiery as Abbado's second, more successful, recording, it works very well. Like Kubelík, Schwarz revels in the music's grotesqueries, albeit in stricter tempo. There is sufficient relaxation in the soft string passages to offset this drama, and the Royal Liverpool orchestra responds with verve and great feeling to Schwarz's every shift of mood.

The first "Nachtmusik" movement plays off the dark and light elements in perfect equilibrium. The lyrical middle section has just the right tenderness and gemütlich for the music. The music sings--and how it sings! One almost expects a soprano to come swooping in at any moment. The Scherzo has proper bounce and swagger, with a light touch that makes the odd violin glisses sound like aerial acrobats riding above the ebb and flow of the music. There is also a touch of humor, so important in this score. The second "Nachtmusik" continues this mood in a most charming vein. In the finale, Schwarz pulls out all the stops: the music leaps from the speakers and grabs you by the shoulders. There is an almost Baroque feeling to the counterpoint, though dressed in modern harmonic clothing, that Schwarz, an expert Baroque conductor, understands very well.

Gerard, you scored a hit with this one! The sound quality is nothing short of fantastic. Five stars, easily.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A knockout Mahler Seventh from a surprising source, April 18, 2009

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

In my experience, Fanfare is very up and down about which Mahler recordings are among the best, but their quoted review is spot on about this eye-opening Mahler Seventh from an unlikely source. I had heard Gerard Schwarz's earlier Mahler and been impressed, but he's not exactly a known Mahlerian, and the Royal Liverpool orchestra, though widely recorded, never struck me as a blazing virtuosic group.

On both counts this performance shatters preconceptions. It's a heartfelt reading that substitutes a wealth of emotion for wealth of detail. That's a good place to be in Mahler. The Liverpool musicians are so ardent, committed, and devil-may-care that they hardly seem British. Schwarz encourages an edge-of-your-seat excitement, keeping the dramatic tension going measure after measure. The results may not be subtle in many places, but for outright enjoyment, this overlooked CD is miles ahead of the acclaimed Sevenths from Tilson Thomas and Boulez, both of which are lacking in basic emotional variety and intensity. How gratifying to feel real heart from everyone concerned. There are virtuosic Sevenths from Abbado and Bernstein that won't be supplanted, but here's a dark horse to be enthusiastic about. Highly re3commended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a true sleeper, November 14, 2008

By 

B. Guerrero "Mahler nutcase" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

Here's a sleeper for you. The sound quality is excellent, and Schwarz conducts a performance that is both cogent and exciting. The first movement doesn't go faster than the finale (MTT/SFSO), and there's plenty of atmosphere in the contrasting, "moonlit" episode that is at the core of this monster of a first movement. The two Nachtmusik movements possess sufficient atmosphere as well, and the guitar and mandolin are quite forward in the second one of the two (fourth movement). As is often times the practice these days, Schwarz takes the second Nachtmusik a bit on the quick side; making for a more natural transition into Mahler's "daylight" finale. What the Royal Liverpool Phil. lack in final luster and polish, they make for in sheer enthusiasm. As with Abbado (both of his), the middle movement scherzo is fleet and wispy. Only a somewhat oily sounding glissando from the solo violin at the very start of the fourth movement, mars the proceedings in any real way. All is forgotten when an onslaught of deep bells toll their way through the final bars of the finale. The recorded sound keeps expanding to comfortably accommodate both the unison brass and percussion. Good stuff!

Among recent vintage recordings of Mahler's quirky yet exciting 7th symphony, only the Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin one pleases me more (Warner Classics). The Abbado/LFO one on DVD is quite good too. Schwarz is well worth your consideration.