A mixed bag here in Boulez's first recording in this new Mahler cycle - great polish from the Vienna players, the conductor's usual attention to detail, not always found in Mahler performances, and marvelous sound.  But, as Bernstein says in a tape of him rehearsing, where is Mahler?  The notes are there but the sentiment, the feeling Mahler comes and goes.  The first movement generates a nice forcefulness, but then in the cow-bell interlude, Boulez seems lost, not knowing just what this unusual passage is for.  This is unforunate, because it's one of the key moments in the symphony, the essence of memory in Mahler, something that holds the narrative of life and death together in this work.  Whatever spell the performance has gathered is squandered here.
There is a nice recovery in the third movement, which is beautifully played.  This is some of the most beautiful, rich, powerful music Mahler ever wrote, and it seems so often to play the musicians, not vice-versa.  But the reappearance of the cow-bells does not have the impact it should since it has not been given proper wieght in the first movement.  And the finale opens with a nice spooky atmosphere, but in retrospect that seems more attributable to the quality of the musicians than the ideas of the conductor.
Overall, this is very capable without being special in any way, and that specialness is what a Mahlerian demands.  However, for fans of Boulez, this is an important CD.
A mixed bag here in Boulez's first recording in this new Mahler cycle - great polish from the Vienna players, the conductor's usual attention to detail, not always found in Mahler performances, and marvelous sound. But, as Bernstein says in a tape of him rehearsing, where is Mahler? The notes are there but the sentiment, the feeling Mahler comes and goes. The first movement generates a nice forcefulness, but then in the cow-bell interlude, Boulez seems lost, not knowing just what this unusual passage is for. This is unforunate, because it's one of the key moments in the symphony, the essence of memory in Mahler, something that holds the narrative of life and death together in this work. Whatever spell the performance has gathered is squandered here. There is a nice recovery in the third movement, which is beautifully played. This is some of the most beautiful, rich, powerful music Mahler ever wrote, and it seems so often to play the musicians, not vice-versa. But the reappearance of the cow-bells does not have the impact it should since it has not been given proper wieght in the first movement. And the finale opens with a nice spooky atmosphere, but in retrospect that seems more attributable to the quality of the musicians than the ideas of the conductor. Overall, this is very capable without being special in any way, and that specialness is what a Mahlerian demands. However, for fans of Boulez, this is an important CD.