Mahler: Symphony No. 1

Mahler: Symphony No. 1

• ABBADO CLAUDIO / BERLIN P. O.
• MUSICA CLASICA
• INTERNATIONAL
• MUSIC

Claudio Abbado recorded a good, if not overwhelming, performance of this piece with the Chicago Symphony at the very beginning of the digital era. Well, here he is again with a vastly inferior orchestra (in Mahler, at least), and a recording of no special distinction. His interpretation, too, has lost some of its impact and tautness, which is so often the case with this conductor's remakes. If you want this symphony in digital, try Leonard Bernstein on DG, Neeme Järvi on Chandos, or Riccardo Chailly on London, all of which are magnificent. <i>--David Hurwitz</i>