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Title: Wonderfully transparent recording!
Review: This is the only version of Mahler's First Symphony I've ever heard, so I'll just mainly comment about the recording quality. The sound is amazingly transparent and detailed. The subtlest pluck of string and the softest pianissimo are perfectly captured. The crash of symbols at the beginning of the fourth movement is startling! The percussion is rendered with great clarity, with no muddiness. Every note is caressed and beautifully crafted. Perhaps the only shortcoming is a lack of intensity in the more turbulent sections. As others have noted, the parody of the Bohemian minstrels also might not have been sufficiently mocking. Regardless, the attention to detail and the craftsmanship of the playing is top notch.
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