Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No.10 (Cooke’s 3rd performing version)
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Riccardo Chailly
rec. 1986, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin
Decca 4669552 [78]

This recording of Deryck Cooke’s realisation of Mahler’s Tenth symphony was reviewed here on MusicWeb by the doyen of Mahler reviewers, the late Tony Duggan, in the year 2000, when it was on a single disc (and is still available for purchase as a download). It was reissued on two discs coupled with Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (which is the copy I own, but I’m reviewing only the Mahler). TD admired it without according it top status; let me quote his conclusion: “In terms of recorded sound this is the best Mahler/Cooke Tenth currently available. As an interpretation it is imbued with polish, nobility and integrity. Rattle and Sanderling penetrate deeper but Chailly has much to admire.”

I have now encountered it for the first time as part of my ongoing survey of all the recordings of Mahler Tenths I can lay my sticky paws on. I will ask Chailly’s admirers to pardon me if I say that I have often found him to be a tad vanilla as a conductor – always reliable but not very exciting. That chimes neatly with TD’s response to Chailly’s recording of the Mahler symphony. I made a point of listening to it “without prejudice” and came away with a response virtually identical to his.

It is beautifully recorded, with air and space around the orchestra but not too much reverberation; it has a real “concert hall” feeling to it. The playing is refined, homogeneous and cultured but perhaps lacking a little in the Angst and desperation constantly underlying this music. Chailly’s tempi are quick in the first movement then generally on the slow side for the remaining four movements, and his phrasing careful – too careful? – throughout. The cultivation of his sound, especially the sweetness of the woodwind, rather drains the requisite ardour from this most disturbing of symphonies. Personally, I like a little more wildness and abandon and am not as moved by it as I am by more emotive accounts. The “Scream” chords are certainly desolate but as a whole this is a poised, “classical” account and many will appreciate its forensic clarity.

The same is true of the two Scherzos so I will not belabour my point. TD finds that the tiny, central “Purgatorio” movement “sags” as it feels too slow and yes, it could do with a sharper, more sardonic swing to it, especially in the central section, and the final trombone snarl needs to be nastier. To say I am bored by Chailly’s manner would be to wildly overstate the case but let’s say I could feel more involved – indeed I am gripped by other versions by Rattle, Harding and Barshai, whereas here I am somewhat of a bystander. The finale, however, is excellent. The initial bass drum strokes are a little too present but not excessively so; the flute solo is ethereal and we are transported – exalted- into another plane and the titanic struggle between triumph and despair is unfolds organically and inexorably, conjuring up just the intensity which was previously sometimes lacking. The final chords are heartbreaking; Chailly makes the final upsurge on the strings a searing, desperate affirmation of love of life and hope before the gentle glow of acceptance and resignation. Some might be bothered by the little pauses he inserts between last the notes by the horn; I like them – it is like a little questioning stutter, leaving the door open to doubt.

In general, if a listener has not encountered recordings of a more demonstrative nature, there would be nothing to object to in this elegant reading, but despite the beauty of the last couple of minutes here, elsewhere in the performance I look for a little more vehemence and passion.

Ralph Moore

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