MAHLER: DAS LIED VON DER ERDE, Soloists, Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra/Channel Classics SACD It is probable that this Channel Classics release of Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ marks the end of the survey of the composer’s symphonic compositions undertaken by Iván Fischer and his crack Budapest Festival Orchestra, the body that he co-founded with Zoltán Kocsis thirty seven years ago. Fischer’s acclaimed Mahler cycle began in 2005 with the 6th Symphony and steadily emerged as one of the finest on disc, thanks not least to the superb 5.0 multi-channel DSD recordings engineered by Jared Sacks in the Palace of Arts, Budapest.
The cover of this new SACD of the composer’s penultimate completed composition features a rather gaunt photograph of the conductor while inside the digipak there is a striking double page image of a mountain sunset. Together they provide an apt visual metaphor for ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ with its references to both the transitory nature of human existence and the constant renewal of the earth’s beauty. In the booklet notes Iván Fischer provides his own thoughts on the work writing,“’Die liebe Erde’, the lovable Earth that will stay and flourish in the spring (while we have less than 100 years to enjoy it), is the subject of Mahler’s adoration, the friend, to whom it is so painful to say farewell. This adoration of nature brings Mahler closer to Tao and Spinoza than to various religions he flirted with earlier. While saying farewell to the world, he found his true love and his true friend – planet Earth”.
As has always been the case with this conductor’s Mahler performances we have here an account that is distinctive, yet free of any interpretive mannerisms, and marked by meticulous attention to the score. Fisher’s pacing in each of the work’s six movements is impeccably judged – exemplified by a fleet-footed opening movement that immediately grips the listener and an expansive heart-wrenching doom-laden finale. His purposeful, sensitive conducting is attuned to both the colour and architecture of the work, ensuring that the contrasting character of each of the six movements is significantly delineated here in terms of the individual and corporate playing of the marvellous Budapest Festival Orchestra musicians. Fischer’s minute attention to the shaping of phrases results in textures of astonishing clarity achieved, of course, by superlative orchestral playing of great refinement. It comes as no surprise then to assert with confidence that both performance and interpretation find the conductor and orchestra at the top of their respective forms. This, however, represents only half the picture as the contribution of the two vocal soloists is the major factor in judging the success of the whole enterprise.
Robert Dean Smith is a very experienced exponent of the three tenor songs in this work and he is in notably better voice here than on Jurowski’s recent version of this work. He delivers an especially thrilling account of ‘Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde’ seemingly unfazed by Fischer’s urgent driving tempo while in ‘Von der Jugend’ he conveys an appropriate lightness and sense of joy. His ringing Heldentenor is used with much flexibility in ‘Das Trunkene in Frühling’ and the sensitivity with which his voice caresses the meditative passage beginning with the line ‘Ein Vogel singt im Baum’ demonstrates his keen understanding of the text. Fischer’s chosen soloist for the three songs allotted to the alto is the mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger who like Robert Dean Smith is a sought after interpreter of Mahler. She can already be heard on a CD of ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ on the MDG label and also on two recordings of the composer’s 3rd Symphony (Fischer and Haitink). There is no doubt that Romberger possesses a spectacularly beautiful and creamy voice, one that is secure across its full range and, in contrast with many of the contraltos who have essayed this piece on disc, Romberger’s voice has a light, pure timbre. Her diction and intonation in all three songs is impeccable, and she never produces an ugly sound. There is, however, for this listener at least, a problem. Her poised intimate singing lacks a degree of emotional involvement with the texts while its cool detachment is surely the last thing required in these songs. All too often I found myself marvelling at the subtle colouring and lucidity of the orchestral part rather than the expressive poetry Romberger was attempting to communicate, and by the end I was full of admiration for the beauty and technical accomplishment of her singing but left unmoved by it. Others may well feel differently in which case this recording could well be a top choice for them.
This multichannel (5.0 DSD 256) studio recording of ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ was made during March 2017 in the orchestra’s usual venue of the Palace of Arts, Budapest, by the Channel Classics team of Jared Sacks (Producer and recording engineer) ably assisted by Tom Caufield and Tom Peters. Even when judged by the state-of-the-art audio quality achieved on the earlier issues the sound here is exemplary; natural, detailed and clear, but never clinical. The liner booklet provides full texts and translation of the settings (German/English) and concise notes on the work by Clemens Romijn.
There are a number of deeply satisfying recordings of this work to which this one may be confidently added.
MAHLER: DAS LIED VON DER ERDE, Soloists, Vladimir Jurowski/Pentatone The PENTATONE label already has a very fine recording of Mahler’s penultimate completed work ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ in their catalogue from Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. so it seems reasonable to ask why another? One could speculate that the opportunity to record the work again with their recently signed star conductor Vladimir Jurowski was an opportunity not to be missed and in the event it certainly proves to have been a wise decision. This new release is taken from a live recording made in the Berlin Philharmonie on 14 October 2018, a co-production with Deutschlandfunk Kultur and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Berlin.
In the liner notes Jurowski contributes an essay entitled ‘A song on the mortality of man and the mortal nature of Life’ in which he expresses his belief that “Mahler consciously juxtaposed here the mortality of humans and the immortal nature of Life itself, and in this sense, he seems closer to the teachings of Buddha or Lao Tse than to the maxims of Christianity or Judaism.” How much this conductor’s spiritual philosophy influences the performance is for others to speculate, but there is no doubt that he inspires the players of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Berlin (the orchestra of which he is currently the chief conductor and artistic director) to give of their best and deliver what, judged by any yardstick, is a most impressive account of this work. Janowski’s well considered pacing and subtle use of portamento at various points in the score also allows appreciation of the many beautifully shaped individual solo passages from the RSB players that abound throughout this score.
Robert Dean Smith is the tenor soloist (as he is for Ivan Fischer’s new studio account of Das Lied von der Erde recorded a year earlier in 2017). As an outstanding Heldentenor who has performed all the main Wagner roles (Tannhäuser, Lohengrin Meistersinger, Tristan etc.) he is fully up to the taxing opening song ‘Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde’. It is, however, also apparent that at 62 (when this performance took place) his voice had, understandably, lost some of its freshness from earlier years; nevertheless his secure singing and clear delivery of the texts in all three songs is not to be underestimated.
Without doubt what makes this recording very special is the sublime singing of Sarah Connolly in the three alto songs. Her exquisitely nuanced performances of each illustrate her deep identification with this music. In ‘Der Einsame in Herbst’, she perfectly conveys the introspective character of the poem through her clear enunciation of the text and the warmth of her delivery while also remaining meticulous in her attention to Mahler’s directions. Her delicately poised ‘Von der Schönheit’ is lustrous in the outer sections and she articulates the challenging wild percussive central section with ease. The full gamut of Connolly’s miraculous vocal artistry is displayed in her achingly beautiful account of ‘Der Abschied’ that, without doubt, matches those from the finest interpreters of the past.
The multi-channel SACD was recorded in Hi-Res PCM by Florian B Schmidt (producer and post- production) and Henri Thaon (recording engineer). The sound has all the requisite clarity and definition one could wish for, spacious yet detailed, and with a fine balance achieved between orchestra and soloists. Audience noise is virtually absent and there is no applause after the work’s conclusion.
The presentation of this issue does, however, leave much to be desired. Careless proofing of the booklet notes – for example, Kath-leen (sic) Ferrier – and though the German/ English texts are provided, the whole of the final verse of ‘Der Abschied’ has, unforgivably, been omitted. The timings for each of the work’s six movements printed on the digipak are also suspect, failing to match those shown on my player or PC. In fact Jurowski’s performance lasts 60.30 not 62.43 as stated.
These irritations aside, I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending this recording, not only for the sensitivity of Jurowski’s insightful conducting but especially for the unmissable eloquence and searching musicality of Sarah Connolly’s wonderfully moving performance, one that no Mahler devotee will wish to be without.