The DSD-mastered surround mix on this hybrid SACD release captures more of the sound of the symphony than I have ever heard (for a review of the actual performance in regular stereo, type Q7741 in Search Reviews). Michael Tilson Thomas’ competing SACD on the San Francisco Symphony’s own label (part of a generally well-praised Mahler series) does not present a coherent impression of a real concert space–and unlike Chailly, Thomas ensures a dull performance by sanding off much the music’s weirdness. In this disc’s use of surround, subtlety reigns. Rear-channel information lightly registers just enough ambience, barely noticeable but enough to help pin down the locations of the on-stage players. Only twice are performers put in the rear areas of the Concertgebouw: the posthorn solo (executed here, I believe, by a cornet) floats from high and behind, especially in its last entry; and in the Wunderhorn song of the fifth movement, the women’s chorus is placed to the rear, creating a neat antiphony with the boy choir’s “bimm bamm” bell imitations. As was the case with the CD release, the surround SACD mix is highly recommended. [3/2/2005]
