Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 10 (1911) (second version by Deryck Cooke)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Michael Gielen
rec. 2005, Konzerthaus Freiburg in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Hänssler Classic CD93124 [77]

The orchestra here merged with its Stuttgart counterpart in 2016 to form the SWR Symphonieorchester and something about its sound and Gielen’s direction tells you that this recording is wholly authentic. The sonority, the portamenti, the raw woodwind, the lilt in the rustic dances, the unhurried sense of direction, the proportional, structural relationship of the five movements – they all positively proclaim echt Mahlerian credentials. There is a clarity and intellectual rigour to Gielen’s control which in many ways runs counter to the more overt, emotive style of, for example, Wyn Morris, but the way he prepares for the monumental discord at 16:40 disarms all objection. The SWR sounds as good as their Berlin counterparts and the balance and transparency of the sound engineering are also great assets to Gielen’s style. I find it hard to pin down why he succeeds where – to take one of the few examples where I find a recording simply fails to engage me – Noseda is lacking, but there it is; something about Gielen’s grip convinces and sustains the listener’s interest. The end of the first movement is magical; the strings whistle ethereally and the final pizzicato is like a benediction.

The first scherzo is bouncy, blaring and blatant, with no superfluous prettifying of the sound or finnicky, portentous lingering over phrasing; it chatters and chummers away heedlessly, the percussion and brass running roughshod over the fabric of the music in thoroughly refreshing manner.  It’s a joyous experience, devoid of the menace some conductors bring out in this movement but thoroughly exhilarating.

The Purgatorio is likewise fast, light and driven; I have not heard it played quite like this elsewhere. Gielen really pushes the music on, giving it a hysterical, frenetic atmosphere which is suggestive of the nightmarish quality some conductors to find and listeners to hear. The woodwind playing is especially slick and graceful.

The second Scherzo is always tricky to pull off successfully. The angular, percussive nature of the sound Gielen coaxes from the orchestra seems to flow naturally from the spiky ambiguity of the preceding movement and la lutta continua; no rest for the tormented here. The playing is bold and rumbustious, sweeping onward grandly and relentlessly before the teasing collapse at the close, ushering in the malevolent drum-thwacks.

Speaking of which, nothing in this world is perfect and those are far too loud, sharp, metallic and present; they sound like a road accident – although they are admittedly impressive for sheer volume and impact. As is invariably the case with every recording I have encountered, the solo flautist enjoys the limelight, and although the flute’s timbre is rather thinner than many, that adds to the sense of desolation. The remainder of the finale unfolds with drive and momentum – this movement can so easily get bogged down but lovely string tone, splendid brass playing and Gielen’s clear sense of purpose combine to create great drama before the brass and woodwind usher in the last serene passage of repose and resignation. Gielen eschews sentimentality but sustains a singing, textural purity, every instrumental line being as clear as spring water. The final bars are as poised and beautiful as any rival recording, the minor sixth upward leap by the strings heart-breaking.

Along with Wyn Morris’ recording, this was the biggest surprise among the dozen or so accounts of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony I have recently reviewed – and I love it. Having liked Gielen’s No. 8 so much (review) I should perhaps have known this would be good; I have been guilty of under-estimating Gielen’s Mahler in the past. I am pleased to see that my colleague JQ also thought highly of it, as expressed in his review of Gielen’s box set of Mahler symphonies.

(You might find an expensive second-hand CD of this recording or acquire it as part of Gielen’s complete set on Hänssler, but it is also available as a reasonably priced download. You may also hear it on YouTube.)

Ralph Moore

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