Mahler: Symphonies 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 [Box set]

Reviewing Levine's recording of the Sixth for the Gramophone some years ago, RO (Richard Osborne) was scathingly dismissive of Levine's manner with the piece. He complained that Levine's way with the slow movement `veers between fine balances, blandness, saccharine sentimentality and unmitigated uproar'. I cannot imagine why RO felt it to be so!

To look at this reissue from three perspectives; firstly, the recording quality throughout is superb. To me it is mildly ridiculous to complain, as does Osborne, that a `fourth horn is weak at bar so-and-so', etc. These recordings are all remarkable for their superb clarity and balance. Detail is thrillingly present without being spot-lit exaggeratedly (as is the case in Bernstein's CBS set). For faithfulness to the depths and heights, the whispers and thunderings of a Mahlerian orchestral sound these recordings are exemplary.

Second, the standard of orchestral playing is breathtakingly accomplished. Throughout this long symphony (the Sixth) the orchestra (the LSO) perform with a consummate degree of concentration, individual phrasing, tone and colour. The same can be said of all the orchestras that feature in this set - testimony to Levine's excellence on the podium.

Thirdly, Levine's greatly impressive conducting. Osborne dismisses Levine's Mahler as `a trifle naive', a naivety that, he suggests, is the `product of a generation which has known neither war nor cultural collapse'. That is a strange, highly contentious remark. Osborne quotes Bernstein's remark that `ours is the century of death and Mahler is its musical prophet'. Levine belongs to this century, as much as his contempories!

There are few, very few, recordings of the Sixth that are more complete in their precision, sensitivity and power. Levine achieves a rare and greatly desirable paradox: a reading that is penetratingly and eloquently objective while being also and in equal measure profoundly responsive and personal.

A few years after Osborne's review of the Sixth, Michael Kennedy reviewed (also in the Gramophone) Levine's recording of the Fifth; MK voiced a far more mature and reliable judgement:

`I am not sure that James Levine's Mahler is appreciated so fully as it ought to be. His recording of Symphony No. 7, perhaps the most difficult of the set to bring off, is a magnificent achievement and some might think that he is superior in the finale even to Abbado.... This No.5 is first-rate in every respect. ...the playing of the Philadelphia Orchestra (particularly its brass and woodwind soloists) is truly amazing and the recording is bright, warm and well-balanced.'

MK's response in his review of Levine's recording of the Ninth was similar:

`For reasons never quite clear to me, some Mahlerians tear their hair when confronted with Levine's performances. He is often a whippingboy for the American critics, apparently, but no serious listener could deny the strength and integrity of his music-making. This is an impressive account of the Ninth Symphony, an interpretation which eschews self-pitying whining and stresses the courageous, positive elements of the symphony.

While that doyen of Mahlerians, Deryck Cooke, refers to Levine's conducting (in this instance of the Fourth) in these terms:

`James Levine is a true Mahler conductor. He really cares about all those multifarious tempo and expressive markings, and follows them in an entirely natural, unfussy manner, so that the feeling of the music is enhanced in the way one feels Mahler intended it to be.

`...Levine can be seriously considered on the level of the two conductors who have hitherto led the field where the Mahler Fourth Symphony is concerned--Kletzki (HMV Concert Classics) and Szell (CBS Classics). His performance is a really beautiful one, which explores the depths as well as the charms of this work, especially in the slow movement, which is quite remarkable. ... The recording is one of great clarity....'

I have quoted these comments to redress a popular misconception. For many years I was persuaded, by the negative attitudes of reviewers like Osborne, to dismiss Levine's Mahler as sub-standard. That was my mistake - and what a mistake!

This set (at an almost unbelievably low price) is decidedly of the front rank. I cannot imagine anyone who loves the music of Mahler being other than delighted and grateful. Very strongly recommended.

I have to confess that I bought this set mainly because it was so cheap: but only because it had been highly recommended by others. I also have to admit that I had never really considered Levine as a Mahlerian, though he is no newcomer to these works. His third symphony had long been widely praised; but his versions of the others had generally been short of top recommendation in the various guides and reviews over the years. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music-making, and the recordings, in this set.

First, here is a rundown of the works included, with the orchestras and recording dates:
With the Philadelphia Orchestra: #5 [1977], #9 [1979], #10 [Cooke version: 1978-80]
With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra: #3 [1975], #4 [1974], #7 [1980]
With the London Symphony Orchestra: #1 [1974], #6 [1977].

What is the secret of Levine's success in these works?
Firstly, he adopts moderate, fairly broad tempi, but never lets the music sag, maintaining throughout an exemplary sense of line and forward momentum.
Secondly, he creates a beautiful, well integrated sound, which never becomes sentimental or over-blown.
Thirdly, while allowing the depth of feeling in the music to unfold naturally, he never underlines or exaggerates.
Fourthly, while he may not reach quite the intensity of Bernstein, he skillfully manages to avoid the neurotic and sometimes even narcissistic impression that Bernstein creates at moments of climax.
Those weaned on Bernstein - or Solti - may thus find him a little underpowered in places: but I think he leaves the music stronger by letting it speak for itself, and by eschewing 'effects'.

Altogether a deeply satisfying set, in spite of there being no Second or Eighth. There are plenty of good versions of those two massive works to complement Levine's set, and I doubt that anone will miss them.
This is a very good collection that still bears comparison with the best of the competition - especially at the bargain price currently offered by some sellers. Those previously inclined to ignore Levine's Mahler are likely to be very pleasantly surprised by this remarkable set.

James Levine is now in his late 60s, and recurrent health problems suggest that he may not be able to continue his conducting career. These recordings, made in his early and mid 30s, thus also provide a poignant reminder of just how good he was at the outset of that distinguished career.

These recordings hail from the '70's and early '80's but still sound good even if lacking the spaciousness and clarity of the best 21st Century recordings. I enter this as a caveat because one reviewer made an issue of it. One can only speak for one's self but I have not found the nature of the recorded sound interfering with my enjoyment of the music and have to listen hard to be aware of the limitations whereas I find recordings from the '60's or earlier difficult to listen to unless extensively remastered.

During the '80's, when music critics reviewed available Mahler recordings it was customary to include Levine in the standard comparisons. His recordings were regarded as reliable middle-of-the-road interpretations rather in the way of someone like Haitink. Then fashions seemed to change in favour of more emotionally-charged approaches like those of Bernstein and Solti. It would be taking it too far to suggest that Levine's Mahler was back in fashion but he is part of a respectable Mahler tradition and these recordings are definitely worth having.

AS another reviewer has pointed out, this is not a complete set, 'missing' symphonies nos. 2 & 8. If you are collecting stamps, complete sets are an issue, but I am not sure of their relevance in collecting musical experiences, but that is a personal issue. I certainly wouldn't want to pay out more than the price of this collection of eight symphonies to add another one or two. His new recording of the 2nd is up against some stiff opposition including Mehta's classic recording, also with the Israel Philharmonic but I have not been able to make a comparison.

This is simply a fine collection and a cost-effective way of extending one's choice of competitive versions. Mahler is such a multi-faceted composer, often specifying seemingly impossible requirements ('trumpets played loudly but as from afar'?), that conductors have to make choices, perhaps more than with any other composer, so the concept of a 'definitive' version is probably an illusion. Like many, I get round it by having several versions of Mahler's symphonies, up to half-a- dozen of my favourites. No doubt the better-heeled manage more.
I find listening to Levine's performances enhances my enjoyment and appreciation of Rattle and Abbado and vice versa.

Without getting bogged down in detailed comparisons between symphonies, Levine goes for the 'big' integrated orchestral sound; individual instruments can be heard but their contributions to emerge from and then recede into the sonic mists. That is quite a contrast with the lean clarity sought by, say, Abbado, or the polished phrases coming from Rattle, to use the above comparisons.

If you only had one set of recordings, Levine would not be a bad place to start.