Mahler 6 “Tragic”: Vanska with Minnesota on BIS
87 minutes on one SACD / CD?
Sound: Superb recording, European Orchestra Layout – you’ll notice it in the opening bars with double basses and cellos left. The recording was made in the Minnesota Orchestra’s regular concert hall and this is one of the best recording acoustics I’ve heard, nice and tight with a hint of ambience, keeps fine details from getting lost in a blur. This recording captures dynamic range so well; pppp’s are clearly captured and heard and ffff’s don’t distort. Horn and brass voices really come out in a way most recordings don’t capture them. Mahler’s youth growing up was spent in a town that had a military barracks and its own marching band, Mahler’s early music exposures were definitely sewn into his adult compositional style and this recording give a full measure of horn and brass details brought to the fore. This is not just a consequence of the recording quality I suspect but also Vanska’s balancing of the different orchestra sections as well. Another master of getting horn and brass balances right was Tennstedt. Loads of various instruments not generally used are in play here also; glockenspiel, xylophone, deep bells, rute, wood sticks, cowbells, celeste, and several triangles.
1st movement: “Tragic” – Mahler himself referred to this title on many occasions for his 6th. While I prefer a bit more snap in the tympani for the Mahler rhythm appearances (dum, dum, _da-dum, dum, dum), Vanska’s pacing create a genuine mood of foreboding throughout even if the movement ends in a triumphant manner. Well done.
2nd or 3rd Scherzo/ 2nd or 3rd Andante, movements: Mahler himself couldn’t decide which should be 2nd or 3rd. Vanska puts the Andante 2nd and Scherzo 3rd. I prefer the opposite. Probably 95% of all the recordings of the 6th (and 2 live performances) I’ve encountered put the Scherzo 2nd and the Andante 3rd and I think the symphony works better that way. This performance puts the Andante 2nd and Scherzo 3rd. With CD it’s easy to reorder the movements anyway you like with the push of a button.
The Scherzo: This movement always strikes me as a little bizarre by intent, like a picture viewed through a distorted lens. It’s basically dark in mood but in a twisted sort of way and mixed with elements of straight forward, gentle, waltz like sections which makes the movement all the more a bit unstable in atmosphere. It makes a nice contrast to the certainty of the 1st movement and it does end (the last 4 minutes or so), in a very low key state that could mate to the 4th movement okay.
Andante: “But”, I prefer the escape to the peaceful realm the Andante presents before we enter the 4th movements massive, and other worldly realm. So, Scherzo 2nd and Andante 3rd for me. Vanska does an excellent job just falling a little short of the buildup and release of the “Big Tune” at the end of the Andante that Karajan manages with those fabulous Berlin Philharmonic musicians. The details of all the previously mentioned percussion instruments used are very well captured by BIS.
The Finale : in the first minute or so that ominous theme from Schubert’s “Unfinished” symphony 1st movement appears and that will be brought back in the closing bars of this movement to preface the extraordinary orchestral explosion that closes the symphony. Again I like the Karajan a hair better but he does not get the extra fine details as well recorded.
I was planning on doing a comparison of all 19 different recordings of the 6th in my collection but I’ve been so taken by this Vanska / Minnesota/BIS recording I may move on to Vanska’s 5th and complete Mahler’s middle symphonies with this conductor, orchestra, and recording team, and the 7th I recently listened to and a short review of it posted last month on this thread . Maybe I’ll cover all the Vanska/Mahler’s I have. #3, #8, and #9 have yet to be recorded (?)/ released.
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Enjoy! This set is as cost effective as it is a quality re-mastering and great overall cycle.