Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minor

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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.

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.