[DSD][OF] Mahler: Symphony No.1 "Titan" - Utah Symphony Orchestra, Thierry Fischer - 2015 (Classical/Orchestral)

The work recorded here is, of course, known everywhere as Mahler’s First Symphony. That is not, however, what Mahler thought he was writing at the time, and it took him several years to decide quite what he had wrought (and, in the process, to drop one of the movements). Was this a symphony, or did it belong rather to that alternative, more modern category, the symphonic poem? It was as an example of this latter type that the work was performed for the first time, on November 20, 1889, in Budapest, where Mahler had a post as opera conductor—though it was at the city’s main concert hall, the Vigadó, that he conducted his “Symphonic Poem.” At the next performance, in Hamburg four years later, the composition was billed as “Titan, a tone poem in symphony form,” becoming “Titan, symphony” the following year in Weimar, then finally and fully, reduced from five movements to the standard four, “Symphony in D major” in Berlin in 1896. By that time, Mahler had completed his Second Symphony and most of his Third; he knew what he was about.
Reviews:
Concertonet
Reference Recordings’ product is a sure bet by encasing near-perfect acoustics by Soundmirror. (…)
Thierry Fischer never forgets who’s the boss. Progression of time creates a specified dynamic on the right path at the right moment. Grammatically and musically correct, notes are mapped out intelligently to create purpose and connection with the listener. Highly recommended.
Christie Grimstad
Classics Today 5 out of 5, Artistic Quality: 9, Sound Quality: 9
The sonics also are excellent, with a powerful, solid bass and plenty of room on top. As an orchestra-sponsored recording, this performance is distinctly more persuasive than the rather fussy MTT/San Francisco version of a few years ago. Very enjoyable indeed.
David Hurwitz
Audiophilia
This new Mahler 1 is an excellent example of the developed musical partnership. The sounds good in all departments, with some soloists highlighted to outstanding effect. The woodwinds are especially fine.
Anthony Kershaw
Review by Graham Williams "HRAudio.net"
Older collectors will remember with affection the cycle of Mahler symphonies recorded by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra that began in the 1960s. Those pioneering recordings (the first complete Mahler cycle to be recorded in the USA) not only introduced Mahler to many listeners but raised the profile of this fine Salt Lake City based orchestra.
Now, from the Reference Recordings Fresh! Label, we have a compelling new account of Mahler's 1st Symphony recorded in state-of-the-art sound from this same orchestra under their current Music Director, the Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer. This was taken from live performances given in the Maurice Abravanel Hall (September 2014)
A glance at the total timing for this SACD (52.55) indicates that Fischer's performance is towards the swifter end of the spectrum for recordings of this work, suggesting that it is to be the antithesis of lingering indulgence, which indeed proves to be the case. The magical opening pages of the first movement are beautifully controlled with the off-stage trumpets suitably distanced yet absolutely audible. The surprising immediacy of the woodwind entries indicate that the engineers have gone for a closely recorded balance (possibly to avoid audience noise) but any slight lack of the dreamy atmosphere of Mahler's 'Naturlaut' is more than compensated for by the freshness of the playing and the crisply focused sound. The main body of the movement, with the exposition repeat taken, is beautifully shaped with Fischer conveying the sense of foreboding in the passage from 8.13. The gradual builds up to the movement's final climax is free from any exaggerated slackening of tempo and the final pages are exhilaratingly joyous.
The Ländler Scherzo is trenchant and beautifully articulated by the orchestra with the bass line especially clearly defined. Fischer's sane tempo maintains the music's momentum while the Trio section demonstrates both his lightness of touch and masterly control of rubato that gives the music a winning insouciance. The contrasting grotesque funeral march that follows shows the superb quality of the individual players in this orchestra, as first muted double bass then bassoon, cello, bass tuba, clarinet and finally plaintive oboe make their entrances over the steady tread of the timpani. The parodic klezmer passages are suitably telling but never over played.
The raging opening of Fischer's finale is a roller-coaster ride with fabulous orchestral playing and demonstration worthy sonics that will be seized upon by both audiophiles and Mahlerites alike. The thunderous percussion and incisive brass of the Utah Symphony are absolutely thrilling, but with the appearance of the lyrical second theme (at 3.22) the Utah strings are given the opportunity to show their mettle. This they do with with ravishingly sensitive playing and subtle nuances of dynamics, whilst Fischer's use of rubato is subtle and free of mannerism. As the material from earlier movements is recalled there is no loss of impetus and the build up to the triumphant final bars is magnificently handled, the coda capped with a room-shaking bass drum.
The recording team from Soundmirror, Boston (Dirk Sobotka, John Newton and Mark Donahue) has, as usual, worked their magic and, as I have already indicated, produced a 5.1 multi-channel recording (64fs DSD) of astonishing tonal richness, clarity and presence.
On the basis of this recording there is little doubt that Thierry Fischer is a Mahler interpreter of some stature and the projected recording of Mahler's 8th Symphony in February 2016, scheduled for release in 2017, will be eagerly anticipated.
It wasn’t until after the completion of his Third Symphony Mahler abandoned the use of titles. At the time the rage was all for symphonic poems and extra-curricular literary associations, and Mahler was not immune, possibly because of his association with good friend and rival Richard Strauss. The work under consideration started out as a “symphonic poem” at its first hearing in Budapest, changed to the “Titan” tone poem four years later, transformed again to the “Titan” Symphony a year later, and finally, a full five years after first flowering, the Symphony in D Major in Berlin 1896.
But before that the descriptions were quite involved, and the piece itself had an additional movement, “Blumine”, a theater work adapted for the symphony that featured a trumpet solo. It was quickly tossed and with good reason-nothing about it fits the rest of the character of the piece, though it’s not bad in and of itself. Mahler also soon came to the understanding that no matter what sort of associations may or may not have been present at genesis, ultimately the music survives on pure expression, even when coupled with the exceptional song-like references that he includes in so many places.
The First Symphony stands as a paradigmatic example of Mahler’s developmental processes, which to me are not developments in the form that Beethoven employed, but instead subtle variations on material that serve as the underlying leitmotivs for any given section. This is particularly evident in the last movement where a single theme appears three times, each invested with a different dramatic capability before leading to the triumphant finale. The work remains on one of the three most popular and performed Mahler symphonies, along with the Second and Fourth Symphonies.
This recording celebrates 75 years of superb orchestral work from the Utah Symphony and it is nice to see them back on record. It’s also nice to see an SACD from that bastion of audio excellence, Reference Recordings, who seemed for years to avoid the format. I always knew their embracing it would be a success, and the recordings issued since their conversion have proved the point, taking up the mantle from the late great efforts of Telarc, who have long since abandoned surround sound audiophile issues. Young conductor Christian Thierry also proves himself a fine Mahlerian, though I have yet to hear anyone match the incandescent First Symphony efforts of Bernstein and the Concertgebouw on DGG. Some might also be put off by the opening bars, where the super-quiet harmonics in the strings are a bit on the loud side, much as they were on Andrew Litton’s also wonderful recording with the Bournemouth Symphony on Virgin Classics years ago. Nevertheless, this is a very competitive issue done by superb partners on each side of the microphone, and is easily recommended.
Steven Ritter "Audiophile Audition"