Simon Rattle in Berlin: Gustav Mahler

I suppose that, where Gustav Mahler was concerned, I went into the new Warner Classics box set of the recordings that Simon Rattle made with the Berlin Philharmonic with mixed expectations. Unless I am mistaken, my first CD recording of the performing version of that composer’s tenth symphony, a major undertaking involving Deryck Cooke, Berthold Goldschmidt, Colin Matthews, and David Matthews, involved Rattle conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. That recording was made in 1980, and I am not sure that things have changed very much since then. Indeed, my side-by-side comparison of the track durations bordered on the uncanny!

On the other hand, I was a bit surprised that the Berlin recordings did not account for the full canon of the symphonies (particularly since those recordings consisted only of symphonies). The “complete tenth” is one of only four selections. On the instrumental side there are its predecessors, the ninth, and the fifth. The remaining offering is the second (“Resurrection”), which brings in soprano Kate Royal, mezzo Magdalena Magdalena Kožená (Lady Rattle), and the Berlin Radio Choir.

Sadly, none of these really got the juices flowing. To be fair, however, when it comes to listening to Mahler, I am probably not the best source where recordings are concerned. I had the good fortune to be able to attend a rich number of San Francisco Symphony concerts during the full tenure of Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT). Over that period, he put a generous amount of attention into Mahler’s music; and (somewhat to my surprise, I must confess) I found myself rapt with attention at each of those performances. (Unless I am mistaken, I was fortunate enough to attend every one of those programs!) Perhaps, after so much in-concert experience, my appreciation of the vast number of subtle details was so strong that I am less tolerant of the shortcomings of recordings.

Mind you, getting to know Mahler’s music involves an extended learning curve. I began ascending that curve with record albums I first received when I was still in high school, so I was well prepared when MTT came to San Francisco. If the Rattle-Berlin recordings to not “make the cut” of my personal standard, that may have more to do with my personal listening experiences than with the approaches that Rattle took in leading the Berlin Philharmonic. Indeed, when EMI Classics compiled its Mahler: The Complete Works anthology, that Rattle-Berlin recording was the one selected to account for the tenth symphony!