Our third recording of the Mahler cycle, the 7th Symphony, was reviewed in over 30 international media. Here is an excerpt.
«Given the fabulous fusion of painstaking tonal and dynamic detail with passionate personality in Paavo Järvi’s Zürich Mahler 5, it was likely that this, the most futuristically scored and structured of all the symphonies, would shine. It does. Even in a parade of meticulously well executed interpretations, this one also rises to the top … Järvi and his sound team let no detail pass unilluminated, proving yet again that this has to be Mahler’s most fascinating and inexhaustible symphony.»
5 stars
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«Wer dem Orchester auch dabei seine Freude anhört, diese Musik spielen zu dürfen, der fragt sich, warum gerade die 7. Sinfonie bei vielen anderen Weltklasseorchestern Furcht und Schrecken auslöst. Aber vielleicht liegt es ja einfach nur an Paavo Järvi, der seine Begeisterung für Mahler manchmal nur mit einer kleinen Geste oder einem Lächeln auf die Musiker zu übertragen versteht.»
«Anyone who hears the orchestra's joy at being able to play this music might wonder why the 7th Symphony inspires such fear and dread in so many other world-class orchestras. But perhaps it's simply down to Paavo Järvi, who sometimes manages to convey his enthusiasm for Mahler to the musicians with just a small gesture or a smile.»
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«I love the way Paavo Järvi balances the quirky nocturnal middle movements – Mahler’s night music – with the outer movements, which he directs with real impetus and immediacy, lean and athletic. There’s a sense of purpose, also transparent sound and a volatility – quick silvery reactions and some fabulous playing.»
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«Das Tonhalle-Orchester musiziert auf höchstem Niveau: präzise, charaktervoll, mit einer ganz eigenen, schon gut vertrauten Mahler-Färbung.
Der Klang der Alpha-Classics-Produktion ist mustergültig: räumlich, detailreich, natürlich – Tenorhorn, Kuhglocken, Mandoline und Gitarre leuchten, ohne dass etwas künstlich aufgeblasen wirkt.
Paavo Järvi gelingt mit dieser Siebten eine starke Aussage. Er zeigt einen Mahler, der komplexer, dunkler und philosophischer daherkommt als in vielen romantischeren Lesarten – und genau dadurch so direkt anspricht. Wer eine Interpretation sucht, die Kopf und Bauch gleichermassen erreicht, ohne in einem der beiden zu versinken, sollte hier unbedingt reinhören. Eine Nachtmusik-Reise, die zwar im hellen C-Dur-Licht endet, die Schatten der vorangegangenen Sätze aber nie ganz abschüttelt – und genau das macht sie so spannend.»
«The Tonhalle-Orchester performs at the highest level: precise, full of character, with its own distinctive, already familiar Mahlerian timbre.
The sound of the Alpha Classics production is exemplary: spacious, detailed, natural – the tenor horn, cowbells, mandolin, and guitar shine without sounding artificially inflated.
With this Seventh Symphony, Paavo Järvi makes a powerful statement. He presents a Mahler who is more complex, darker, and more philosophical than in many more romantic interpretations – and precisely because of this, speaks to him so directly. Anyone looking for an interpretation that engages both the mind and the heart without becoming lost in either should definitely give this a listen. A nocturnal journey that ends in the bright light of C major, but never quite shakes off the shadows of the preceding movements – and that is precisely what makes it so compelling.»
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«Communicating that style to 90-plus players is the real challenge, of course, and what I like particularly about Järvi’s Mahler with the Tonhalle-Orchester is his and their idiomatic way with not just sound but phrasing – all those complex hairpin rubatos which give the music its character and for the most part are clearly indicated in the scores. The rapt middle section of the first movement – a sudden departure to remoteness, far from the madding crowd – has him shaping that beautiful theme in such a way as to make it really personal.»
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«This new recording is an undeniable success, thanks to this inspired conductor who knows exactly how to arrange the piece’s many layers, never failing to make each one intelligible, and without ever succumbing to the pathos of a score that is indeed quite overwhelming.»
