This totally unnecessary live recording embodies a “Mahler lite” style similar to what Claudio Abbado is currently doing, and it has to be admitted that the CBSO plays better here than it ever did under Simon Rattle in his generally miserable Mahler cycle. Still, while Sakari Oramo’s lively tempos work well in the cheerful finale, it’s difficult to fathom why he adopts such a balletic approach to the opening funeral march, or why the turbulent second movement so lacks the necessary tonal heft. And despite the generally admirable ensemble, there are some real liabilities, such as the characterless and tinny principal trumpet, unimpressive horns, and a general air of technical proficiency at the expense of expressive meaning. Note, for example, the relatively passionless account of the Adagietto, or the labored climax of the scherzo, a passage that virtually plays itself in most performances. There are also the usual problems with making Mahler’s quiet percussion writing clear (in this case an excessively muted snare drum in the funeral march, and suspended cymbals conspicuous by their frequent inaudibility). The sonics are what you might call good live broadcast quality, but they’re hardly exceptional, and they make the orchestra sound smaller than it probably does live. Then again, maybe not. Forgettably second-rate.
