Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
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List Price:
$24.98
Hungary Hotels Travel Price: $24.98
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Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0723385229988
Format: Import
Label: Channel Classics Nl
Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Channel Classics Nl
Release Date: 2005-12-13
Studio: Channel Classics Nl
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Mahler isn't meant to be merely pleasant
Comment: Despite the three rave reviews here (too bad one of them doesn't spell the conductor's name correctly) and high praise from The Gramophone, I don't think Ivan Fischer's straight-ahead, under-inflected, but pleasant Mahler Sixth comes close to being competitive. Rather than ranking with Karajan and Bernstein, it stands closer to David Zinman's similarly faceless Mahler from Zurich on BMG. Both employ less than stellar orchestras, and both conductors didn't take their vitamins this morning.
As noted above, Fischer's tempo for the first movement is fairly quick, but that's the least of it. There's almost no tension or dramatic contrast -- one episode follows another with a sort of moderate, friendly lyricism that is definitely not what Mahler wanted. MTT is a firebrand next to Fischer. The Andante comes next, played too fast and with little inflection to denote when the music changes mood. The Scherzo follows in the same vein, with modderate tempos and middle-of-the-road intentions. Really, it's maddening that Fischer -- and his critical supporters -- should try to tame the volatile Mahler into a house husband smoking a pipe by the fire.
Only a sense of duty compelled me to bother with the finale, which is of a piece. I was astonished, however, that Fischer could make such volcanic music sound so slack. The orchestra's inability to find the proper intensity for this climactic movement points to some technical limitations that can't be glossed over. I wouldn't bring this up except for the previous reviewers' claims that the playing on this CD is on the level of Berlin under Karajan and Abbado. Are they joking? Otherwise, I'll leave this pedestrain Mahler Sixth to whoever enjoys it more than I do.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fisher can hang with the best
Comment: As the reviews before me pointed out, your view of this performance depends on how you like your Mahler presented. Fisher is straight forward but I find his view of the music perfectly valid and balanced, one which gets to the core of the music without a lot of huffing and puffing. Fisher certainly has a keen eye for detail without sounding fussy. The tempos - and tempo relationships - are very convincing. There is weight, power and angst but it's not exagerated as with Bernstein, who makes this music hard for me to enjoy. Fisher's orchestra plays marvelously and the sound quality is better than every other recording I' ve heard.
Comparisons? Well, I've always found Abaddo dull; Barbirolli too slow and deliberate, and Sanderling too austere. I also find MTT too full of misguided mannerisms that are frustrating, while Karajan rarely get below the surface of the music. I never cared for Szell either. Two recordings I find excellent are Bertini (only with a complete set) and the wonderful Eschenbach/Philadelphia. For me, Fisher joins these two as my favorites.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Well Played and Somewhat Faster Than Usual
Comment: So the reader knows what I am comparing this performance against, I also
own the following recordings of the sixth: Szell/Cleveland,
MTT/San Francisco Sym., Karajan/BPO, Abbado/BPO (2004 live recording).
This is a fine performance in very good sound. Be sure to look for the
[Hybrid] SACD version, as this is available. The opening low-string
pulse is a bit faster on this version than on others, but feels quite
natural -- certainly not hurried. The recorded sound is transparent,
and it is obvious that the new hall in Budapest was well-designed.
Those who are unfamiliar with this orchestra are in for a real treat.
They play extremely well, and this is not a fluke. Catch Fischer's
recording of Dvorak's Slavonic Dances with the same group on Philips.
I find the brass playing in this Mahler recording quite well-balanced
with the remainder of the orchestra, which can be tricky in such
a brass-heavy work.
This recording is up against very stiff competition. Karajan's
long-revered 6th is still very good. I also think the MTT/San Francisco
disc has a special place in the catalog, and it represents the best
of MTT's Mahler work with a very good Mahler orchestra. For some of the
cleanest live playing you are likely to find, Abbado's live
disc from Berlin easily ranks with MTT's, and Berlin's young players
now sound cleaner than the BPO did when he first took over the music
directorship at that orchestra, which is really saying something.
[Check out Abbado's latest Beethoven Symphony cycle with them on DG
for more proof of this.]
Having said all this, I find Fischer's recording is in the same league
as all of these others. I think which one you pick will depend on the
tempos you prefer for this piece. In general I find MTT to linger in
Mahler's slow movements, the Adagietto of the 5th being an example.
If you prefer less dallying, Fischer's disc will suit you. If you
must have the special kind of power and cleanliness a top American
orchestra's brass can deliver, MTT/SFS will not disappoint, and there
was is special feeling of excitement in MTT's 6th that is hard to ignore.
Karajan was seldom given the best sound in the Philharmonie by DG,
but this disc is an exception. For those who like Karajan's balances,
the recording is hard to fault. The brass playing is very good, in
particular.
I must admit that I generally like Abbado's Mahler better than
most anyone's, so if I were picking one recording to own, Fischer's
would probably not be it, but it would be in the running. Those
looking for an exciting, non-sentimental reading of this work with
very good playing in a very fine acoustic space would do well to
give this one a listen. Those with multi-channel playback equipment
should look for the SACD version.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Clear-headed, brisk Sixth; just fine.
Comment: This Sixth fits on one disc with a few minutes to spare, even. Does this mean that this performance sounds rushed? To me it does. A little. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, on the contrary. This Mahler 6 is very well held together by maestro Ivan Fischer, with astute, nicely polished playing by the Budapest Festival Orchestra throughout.
Also, this CD could be seen as a showcase for the acoustics (adjustable!) of the brand new Palace of Arts in Budapest. So nothing of the detail of this intricate and complex work is really lost and - being as well held together as it is - one quickly gets comfortable with the often rather brisk pace of this performance.
But personally I generally prefer more relaxed tempi, like for example in Ricardo Chailly and Michael Tilson Thomas, and for example in the new and wonderful Mahler 6 by the (provincial Dutch) Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra under Martin Sieghart on EXTON/Octavia Records. This performance clocks in at a total time of almost 90 minutes, wich is 12 minutes longer than Fischer, but (almost?) as beautifully played. Sieghart has some more gravitas and weight than this performance by Ivan Fischer and his orchestra, but Fischer has a soundpicture that is somewhat grander - but without losing any of the intricate orchestral details and sounds.
In the end it comes down to taste, and if you like Mahler's Sixth Symphony to sound more 'classical' and clear-headed - aside from being marvelously played, of course -, then maybe this recording will be to your liking. I do like it a lot, standing as it does as a somewhat more 'lighthearted' and 'clear-headed' alternative to for example the marvellous Chailly (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) and Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra), among others.
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