The endless parade of Mahler Fifths continues with this better than average release, which has the singular advantage of very natural, well-balanced, and realistic sonics in both stereo and SACD multichannel formats. Conductor Jonathan Nott and the orchestra are at their collective best in the two opening movements. Nott catches the Mahler idiom well here, his attention to dynamics and subtle rubato bringing out the first movement’s sadness without self-indulgence or stopping the flow of what is, after all, a march. The second movement is exactly what Mahler says it should be: stormily agitated, but also held together with a firm structural grasp, all of which leads to a powerful first appearance of the optimistic brass chorale and a satisfying explosion and final disintegration. The Bamberg Symphony is audibly on top of its game up to this point.
The scherzo, however, is less distinguished, despite excellent playing from the principal horn and a generous (but again not ridiculous) observance of Mahler’s “not too fast” injunction. Even so, the basic problem here stems from a combination of a marginally slow basic tempo, and somewhat choppy phrasing produced by an excessively enthusiastic observance of the many decrescendos. These taper the sound off so abruptly in Nott’s hands that the waltz music begins to sound more discontinuous than it should. At the same time, the climaxes in the movement’s second half lack the intensity that those in the second movement may have led the listener to expect. So while the overall conception calls for little criticism, the execution leads something to be desired, and anyone who loves this symphony will readily admit that where this scherzo is concerned, the devil is in the details.
Nott offers a conventionally lovely reading of the Adagietto (a touch under eleven minutes), and concludes with a vibrant, fresh-sounding finale characterized by good-humored winds and nimble string playing in the fugal episodes. There is, however, one disappointment at the very end: after the grand chorale the timpanist re-enters a bar early with his rhythmic solo line, and stays that way right up the final break-away by the rushing strings. This is inexcusable and should have been fixed, since it stands out like a sore thumb and will be noticed immediately by discerning listeners. So while there’s much here that is very good, in today’s market it’s hard to see just why anyone needs yet another decent, but not special, Mahler Fifth. Musically speaking I have to give credit where credit is due, and Nott strikes me as a conductor worth watching, but that doesn’t mean that you should rush out and buy this release.
