Mahler: Symphony No.7 ~ Abbado
Claudio Abbado's new version of Mahler's 7th (his Chicago recording was made over 20 years ago) is the product of a May 2001 concert in Berlin. It may not displace such outstanding 7ths as those byBernstein,Gielen,Tilson Thomas, and Kondrashin, but Mahlerians will want it for its extraordinary orchestral playing and for the way Abbado captures the otherworldly qualities of this massive work. Even with his slightly faster than usual tempos, Abbado lends the huge first movement march a sense of foreboding and excels in fully projecting the weird, offbeat flavor of the Scherzo and the strangeness of the stream-of-consciousness night music movements. The dense finale is especially notable for its tremendous energy and for conveying the quality of completing a dark journey through night and into bright daylight, with the closing explosion of deep bells brilliantly captured. The Berlin Philharmonic's playing is amazing for its accuracy and its tonal beauties; for example, the strings' caress of their music in the second night music movement is far above the ordinary.--Dan Davis