Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: Bernarda Fink, Netherlands Radio Choir, Boys of the Breda Sacrament Choir, Rijnmond Boys’ Choir
Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conductor: Mariss Jansons
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: RCO Live
Catalogue: RCO10004
Release: 2011
Size: 1.59 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Symphony No. 3
01. I. Kräftig, Entschieden
02. II. Tempo di Menuetto – Sehr mässig
03. III. Comodo – Scherzando
04. IV. Sehr Langsam – Misterioso
05. V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck
06. VI. Langsam – Ruhevoll – Empfunden
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is steadfastly progressing with its Mahler cycle under the direction of its chief conductor Mariss Jansons. Following the releases of the First, Second, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the orchestra now turns its attention to the Third Symphony. Jansons and his Amsterdam-based orchestra performed the Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 8 in the 2009–11 seasons as part of the full, chronological series of performances given by the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies to commemorate his 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of his death. The series is being performed under the direction of various conductors. Jansons stands out in these performances with an astonishing ear for the minutest of details. Jansons possesses the ability to integrate all into the virtually infinite overarching climaxes that can make listening to Mahler’s symphonies such an exciting experience.
“Everything about the shape, pacing and grandeur of Mr. Jansons’s account suggested that he and his players took Mahler’s grand design to heart. While individual details may seem beside the point, it was hard not to be awed by the solidity of the horn playing in the expansive, exposed line that introduces the work. And the shapely offstage posthorn solos in the third movement, to say nothing of the solo string and woodwind lines that emerge throughout the score, provided an appealing counterweight to the high-impact full ensemble playing. The strings, particularly in Mr. Jansons’s plangent reading of the finale, were rich-toned and supple, qualities matched by the remarkably focused woodwind and brass sections. And given Mahler’s penchant for explosive climactic writing (as often in midmovement as in his endings), the ensemble’s percussionists were in their element.” New York Times
Despite its formidable scale and extreme length, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor has become one of his most popular works, and recordings of it have steadily increased with each passing year. This live performance by Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of a growing number of super audio releases of Mahler’s symphonies, and the DSD recording and multichannel format are ideal for the Third, which has an extremely wide dynamic range and a impressive array of sonorities and tone colors. Jansons and the RCO have released other Mahler recordings on the RCO Live label, and though critical reception has been a little mixed over the previous discs, the lucid interpretation and the high quality of this rendition should guarantee high marks from many knowledgeable listeners. The orchestral sound is quite deep and open, perhaps at its most effective in the distant posthorn solo of the third movement, and most affecting in the accompaniment of mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink’s solo in the fourth, “O Mensch! Gibt Acht!” The additional forces of the women of the Netherlands Radio Choir, the Boys of the Breda Sacrament Choir, and the Rijnmond Boy’s Choir show the breadth of the recording space. From time to time, the focus and direction of the sound is difficult to assess on a stereo player, so for an optimal listening experience, play this recording on SACD equipment.