Christoph Eschenbach has evolved into a heavily mannered, interventionist, even perverse interpreter, and it’s very nice to be able to report that those qualities are never in evidence here. His occasional moments of rhetorical emphasis, in the outer sections of the scherzo or in the finale’s second theme, remain attractive personal touches that never check the music’s onward flow. Elsewhere, this is simply a lovely, fresh, and youthful-sounding Mahler First, abounding in idiomatic feeling and atmosphere.
The first-movement introduction wakes up perfectly, the offstage perspectives ideally judged, and the main body of the allegro has the bracing vigor of a spring day. The scherzo, as just mentioned, gets a little help in the “rustic lilt” department, but it’s interesting that Eschenbach shows a welcome touch of restraint in the trio, never letting incidental detail get in the way of the long lyrical line. His funeral march third movement is spectacular: truly spooky thanks to minute control of dynamics, with even the Jewish dance episodes perfectly integrated into the overall mood like some troubling vision. It’s wonderful. And if the angry opening of the finale isn’t quite as crazy as others have made it, I can only applaud Eschenbach’s lively tempo for the concluding chorale. In short, a great job!
The Rückert-Lieder are less impressive, partly because they really do need a darker vocal timbre than Christine Schäfer’s bright soprano offers, and I’m not sure that the transpositions to the orchestral parts that she requires show the music in the best light. This is particularly true of the two big songs, Um Mitternacht and Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, despite the fact that she’s an excellent singer who projects the text with unfailing clarity and emotional aptness. And that incredibly slow tempo for Liebst Du um Schönheit really is a drag. Still, for the symphony alone this disc is worth considering. The sonics are very good, perhaps a touch dry, but vividly present and well-balanced. [5/12/2010]
