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CD Review

Gustav Mahler

Symphony #10 (Cooke version)

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Ricardo Chailly
Decca 466955-2

Solti and Bernstein would not conduct this symphony because they felt, no matter whose version of it you used, it wasn't truly Mahler. What has always puzzled me about that view was, even assuming they are correct in asserting that the end product given to us by Cooke or Wheeler or Mazzetti or Carpenter isn't really Mahler, why should that exclude this beautiful work from performance? Both those gentlemen conducted performances of works a lot less compelling – a lot. Maybe the Tenth is Mahler and maybe it isn't, but whatever it is, it's great music, as realized by almost any of the orchestrators listed above.

Anyway, I'm thankful several conductors, such as Chailly, Inbal Rattle (twice), López-Cobos and others, have given us more than just the Adagio from the Tenth, the one movement Mahler did orchestrate. Chailly taped this performance of the revised Cooke version in 1986 and it was issued two years later. It's easily among the better recordings of this splendid symphony. Chailly went on to do some other splendid Mahler, including a Fifth that also ranks among the better ones. As a matter of fact, if I had to pick just one Fifth, it would be Chailly's. And this Tenth is just about on that level. He draws fine playing from the Radio Symphony strings throughout, especially in the intense first movement. The last two movements also come across well and the orchestra actually performs with total commitment throughout the whole symphony.

The sound on this recording is perfectly competitive despite its mid-1980s origins, and the notes by David Matthews, who had a hand in the publication of the revised Cooke version, are extremely informative. Certainly this recording represents some of Chailly's finest work. As mentioned earlier he has already done a fine Fourth, but he's also turned in convincing accounts of the First and Seventh, and due shortly is his Eighth. I'm waiting anxiously.

Copyright © 2001, Robert Cummings