Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor "Tragic" (Live)

This is Simon Rattle’s third recording of what he has described as “Mahler’s wild, timeless Sixth”. Premiered in 1906, the Sixth is an unforgettable experience with its baleful opening march, sudden reveals of new vistas conjured by Mahler’s magical and innovative orchestration, and the final tragic descent with its notorious hammer blows. Rattle’s deeply considered and searching interpretation is essentially the same as his first recording of the Sixth with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1989. Yet this live recording of 2023—Rattle’s first as chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (though by no means his first with that ensemble)—reveals the work in a fresh light. Partly, this is down to the refinement of the orchestra’s sound. It’s as if the brushstrokes that make up the painted masterpiece, evident in Rattle’s earlier recording, have become invisible; we’re able to enjoy Mahler’s extraordinary soundscapes almost unaware of how they’re achieved. There’s a greater warmth, too, notably in the first movement’s upsurging theme associated with Mahler’s wife, Alma. And a greater sense of hope, reinforced by Rattle’s choice of presenting the consoling slow movement immediately after the first movement (Mahler never decided what order the central movements should be). This, if anything, makes the Symphony’s final dark descent all the more telling.