In 1950 Hermann Scherchen recorded several Mahler symphonies with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the ORF studios for broadcast purposes. Collectors familiar with the conductor’s eccentric Vienna Seventh and Ninth will be surprised how normal and direct this Third is. Scherchen’s tempos, for one, are basically fast, but never frantic, although the scurrying 16th-note runs in the Minuetto barely thwart derailment. The slightly distant but clear miking clarifies the composer’s chamber-like orchestral deployment, and the instrumental soloists play with characterful soul. Alto Hildegard Rössel-Majdan’s pinpoint intonation and warm, focused timbre grace the fourth and fifth movements. The glorious Finale begins with admirable reserve, yet Scherchen rushes through rather than face up to the crucial climactic moment where the wailing, step-wise motive from the first movement is reiterated. There’s no pretending that the Vienna Symphony is a world-class ensemble: the playing is riddled with fluffed entrances, tentative attacks, and malnourished string tone. Yet the music coheres and communicates more convincingly here than in Scherchen’s live 1960 Leipzig Mahler Third. Tahra sweetens the ante by including a 65-page Scherchen discography, which is comprehensive, complete, and superbly researched.
