Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen is one of the few indisputably great  masters of his trade. Thank God he's young and healthy, with a long career in  front of him. He is currently presiding over what I have no doubt will later be  regarded as a sort of "golden age" in Los Angeles. The orchestra has  never sounded better--in fact, the playing on this disc is so staggeringly fine  that you're simply not conscious of it at all. Salonen's interpretation is  equally persuasive. It's so natural that it actually makes the work--the longest  symphony in the repertoire--seem short. Because he makes everything sound so  easy, he has been criticized for a certain emotional coolness. Humbug! Check out  the end of the first movement for the most exciting and passionate five minutes  of music you're ever likely to hear. Greatness, folks, pure and simple.-- David Hurwitz