This concert recording from the last weekend of May, 1996, originally was released as an RCA Victor CD in 1997. Leading a committed orchestra and chorus and the best vocal quartet to be found in releases of Mahler’s astonishing apprentice work, Michael Tilson Thomas achieved a miraculous mix of the seemingly contradictory qualities of drama and objectivity that swept away all competition, including the very good but ultimately overpraised Rattle/CBSO on EMI.
The remastering is skillful: the original recordings were multi-tracked on a 20-bit PCM system. As a result, the transfer to 5.1-channel SACD was able to achieve higher definition than on the CD. Even the 2-channel DSD track is a remaster (rather than just a re-release of the original CD mix). Accordingly, it shares in the sonic improvement, even if the sound quality does not quite achieve the smoothness of the other releases in the San Francisco/Mahler project. Some CD artifacts such as string wiriness and cymbal splashiness remain, but are less noticeable. Best of all, the multichannel recording has been mixed to produce a very natural, solid sound. Backstage effects remain in the front speakers. The rear channels mostly add a stunning impression of the sound rolling out to fill a resonant hall. The vocal soloists, though a bit more dominant than they would be in person, seem to occupy their places in otherwise proper perspective. In sum, this release is a must.
