What a hugely disappointing, utterly routine, bland performance this is. Virtually everything that Markus Stenz does robs the music of color, impact, and grandeur. Take the very opening: we get exciting fortissimo cellos and basses, but when Mahler reduces the dynamics from fortissimo to forte for the main theme, Stenz damps them down to mezzo-something or other. The climax of the same movement is alternately rushed, then muffled (where are those “struck with the bow” violins?)–and has the spooky atmosphere in the coda ever sounded less threatening?
The Andante is attractive enough; the scherzo, though, is almost entirely devoid of humor and quirkiness. The singing is fine, but the start of the finale lacks impact and it never builds to anything impressive through the ensuing episodes. The choral passages are just plain boring. Part of the problem stems from cavernous, diffuse sonics (no matter the format). Stenz did some wonderful Mahler in Melbourne, but his work in Cologne (Wunderhorn songs aside) makes one question his affinity for this music, or at least his ability to get his players to realize Mahler’s evident intentions.
