David Bernard and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony have tackled big orchestral warhorses for years, and their Galahad-like persistence in face of formidable catalog competition deserves commendation.
For the most part they brave the Mahler Fifth symphony’s formidable challenges admirably. To be sure, the small string section can hardly match full-sized orchestras for heft and coloristic range. Yet the cellos and basses display impressive focus and cohesion in the second movement’s soft moments. The Finale’s rapid polyphony pushes the violin players to their limits, but their sonority opens up and gains expressive poignancy in the Adagietto, abetted by Bernard’s fluid and animated basic tempo. The brass have long been this ensemble’s strongest asset, but why do they hold back during the second movement’s climactic chorale?
However, the tricky first-desk wind and brass solos sport impressive character and agility throughout the performance. If the Scherzo’s lilting cross-rhythms don’t lock in to a decisive Solti/Chicago or Karajan/Berlin degree, one must credit Bernard’s intelligent balancing of contrapuntal strands. What’s more, you sense that these freelance musicians never “phone it in”, so to speak, and that they clearly relish how Mahler gives each orchestral section equal opportunity to shine.
I also should mention the superb booklet essays by scholar Vera Micznik and Bernard himself, as well as the vividly detailed engineering. While our “big band” references remain your Mahler Fifth priorities, anyone who purchases this release will be supporting a longstanding and positive force in New York’s musical community.
