This 1992 Das Klagende Lied is one of the better items from Giuseppe Sinopoli’s uneven Mahler cycle. Recorded live, the performance has a winning spontaneity that, combined with Sinopoli’s conviction and devotion to the music, evokes the magical fantasy-world envisioned by the composer.
Sinopoli has going for him an excellent quartet of soloists, including Cheryl Studer (who sounds positively chilling in her closing “Ach Bruder”), Waltraud Meier, Reiner Goldberg, and Thomas Allen, as well as the very robust-sounding Shin-Yuh Kai Chorus. Behind all this, the Philharmonia Orchestra’s playing conveys a sense of joyous discovery.
The recorded sound is a bit opaque, especially so at the climaxes, and is distinctly inferior to the clear sound Decca provided Chailly in his excellent version. Still, Sinopoli’s performance, which until now was available only as part of his complete Mahler cycle, is certainly worth hearing. Arkivmusic.com’s “on-demand” service makes obtaining this recording a far more reasonable proposition. [3/20/2007]
