Interestingly, this performance is the exact opposite of the recent Mariss Jansons recording. Where that one was micro-managed and italicized, this one is insufficiently contrasted. David Zinman tends to take the slow music quickly and the quick music moderately, and the result tends to sameness. This causes particular problems in the first movement, where the introduction seems not to accelerate sufficiently into the initial allegro. Or consider the opening paragraph of the finale, which starts off sounding great, but then bogs down as it proceeds. It’s quite odd and really uncharacteristic of Zinman’s Mahler thus far. Granted, he’s not into wild swings of tempo at the drop of a hat, but he’s usually more sensitive to the music’s ebb and flow than here.
As in so many performances, the inner movements come off best. The scherzo particularly has a nice, crepuscular flow, with lots of characterful woodwind detail. Many listeners also will like this quick account of the second Nachtmusic, and in the slow episodes of the finale, again, Zinman invests the music with appealing personal touches. All the more peculiar, then, that he misses the big picture. Sonically this production is good but lacking in bass, with heavy brass and percussion rather too backwardly positioned. As a result the closing pages aren’t as raucous as they need to be. This should have been a highlight of Zinman’s cycle, but curiously it isn’t.
