Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Mahler (Composer), Bernard Haitink (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Bernard Haitink
• Composer: Mahler
• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Cso Resound
• ASIN: B0015LPS0A
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,808 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Symphony No. 6 in A minor ('Tragic'): Allegro energico, ma non troppo: Heftig, aber markig

2. Symphony No. 6 in A minor ('Tragic'): Scherzo: Wuchtig

3. Symphony No. 6 in A minor ('Tragic'): Andante moderato

Disc: 2

1. Symphony No. 6 in A minor ('Tragic'): Finale: Allegro moderato - Allegro energico

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Qualified Bravo!, April 15, 2008

By 

Christopher OBrien "Tam Tam" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

This CSO Resound label sure knows how to capture its orchestra live in concert. The orchestral balances within this performance are amazing. I am hearing details of the score that have been to some extent buried within the mix on other recordings...some of which I love dearly. I believe the phrase is transparency. Anyway, the sound and execution of the playing is magnificent. The reading of the score is another matter and I believe that this reading will be unfairly maligned because while it does not pack the immediate punch of a Levi, Bernstein, or Tennstedt (especially his recently released live recording from London, it does have merit. I found myself initially getting impatient but as I sat with the recording longer I found that I became more and more wrapped up in the emotional arc of Haitink's reading. At face value it may seem dull but that is deceiving because it does work very well on its own terms and I becoming rather fond of the reading as a result. Mahler is about long paragraphs and Haitink practices what Mahler preaches...he takes his time a let's the score slowly unfurl. It may not be immediate gratification, but sometimes things of worth need to grow on you.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the Ages: The Best Mahler 6th Symphony Recording I've Heard So Far, June 16, 2008

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

One for the ages is exactly how I feel about this glorious Mahler 6th Symphony recording on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's new CSO-Resound Chicago Symphony Orchestra Live label. LSO Live label producer James Mallinson and his recording team have produced one of the best Mahler symphony recordings in recent years, emphasizing the spectacular musicianship of not only the Chicago Symphony itself, but also, of its principal conductor, eminent Mahler interpreter Bernard Haitink. Haitink's latest Mahler 6th symphony recording is vibrant, and relentless in its passion and technical brilliance. While Haitink adheres faithfully to Mahler's score, he does so without forsaking its rich sonic architecture, or its ample expressiveness in what many refer to as Mahler's "tragic" symphony. Indeed there is a strong undercurrent of tragedy which pervades every note, from the opening military march in the first movement to one last loud chord at the very end of the Finale, which is almost chilling in its finality. Haitink also emphasizes the artistic links between Mahler and Shostakovich, especially in the brisk inner movements and the expansive, but still swift, Finale; this may be the only recording of the Mahler 6th Symphony in which I can hear obvious parallels between it and much of Shostakovich's symphonic oeuvre, especially the 4th, 5th and 7th symphonies (Though this ought not to surprise long-time admirers of Haitink, since he is almost as celebrated for his interpretations of Shostakovich's symphonies, as he is for Mahler's.). Having heard the best live performance of Mahler's 1st symphony I've heard, recently at Carnegie Hall with Haitink conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I knew I was in for a treat with this recording. Happily, it doesn't disappoint, with rich intonation from the winds, brass and strings. Mallinson's recording mikes have rendered a truly three-dimensional sonic quality to this recording which is on par with his Beethoven recordings with Haitink conducting the London Symphony, it is as though you are sitting within the orchestra itself, hearing them perform. While the SACD version of this recording is rather expensive, it is definitely well worth its price, and should be a highly sought after acquisition for fans of Mahler, Haitink and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The View from Above the "Tragic" Landsape, May 12, 2008

By 

drdrmike (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

It is clear that the first (Three Star) reviewer put a lot of time and thought into his review of the Haitink CSO Mahler 6. And I applaud the effort. However, I heartily disagree with his summation.

I give this recording 5 stars and put it along side the Barbirolli/Philharmonia recording of 40 years ago as a top recommendation.

There are different approaches to Mahler's 6th and one should have a couple to see which a given listener prefers (or like me that you like both major approaches for the different light they shed upon the score).

One approach is a sort of cutting, fast, grab you by the lapels style as heard in the Kubelik or Solti recordings. It is bracing and rousing and doesn't necessarily arouse deep contemplation in the listener.

The other major approach to the piece is heard here: a view from above of the whole tragic landscape of this symphonic traversal. It is slower, builds gradually to fewer, but more powerful climaxes and leaves one devastated at its finish. It is a train wreck in slow motion from an omnicient perspective. I applaud and thank Haitink for this recording.

RE the sound and the orchestral playing -- the CSO has become a tremendous instrument following the tenure of Daniel Barenboim. All the power and brilliance of the Solti sound are still available, but the strings and winds are orders of magnitude finer. The CSO now is capable of anything -- both peel the paint off brass power and Berlin Philharmonic-style string luminosity and transparency. Ricardo Muti is arriving at a special time for the CSO and I look forward to hearing the results when this sensitive crafter of orchestral sound gets this instrument into his hands.

RE the SACD Mix -- The sound is very full and enveloping. Great balance and weight. I think that the engineers have found a great way to capture this orchestra.