With this new recording, Payare and his Orchestre symphonique de Montréal enter a highly competitive field. Pentatone already has two Mahler 5 recordings in its catalogue, the most recent (October 2022) featuring the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Semyon Bychkov. Releasing a third album, especially so close to the Czech/Bychkov recording, suggests the label has confidence in this new Montréal/Payare partnership; judging by this release, that confidence is well founded.
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal sounds resplendent, with a vast array of color and power at their command. Pentatone’s sound is a bit more analytical than the renowned Decca Montreal/Dutoit recordings, but we hear warmth and space around the orchestral sound, with a crystal-clear transparency that lets us hear every strand of Mahler’s complicated textures. Pentatone’s more recessed recording of the Czech Philharmonic incorporates more of the hall’s ambiance, which sometimes weakens the impact of climaxes. Moreover, there is tangible chemistry between Payare and the orchestra that adds an extra shot of adrenaline and vibrancy to this performance.
Payare’s first movement has an inexorable momentum that heightens the music’s grieving sense of loss. The trumpet’s opening fanfare is darkly colored, answered by a sharp and weighty orchestral tutti. Payare allows himself a minimum of rubato (takes Mahler’s instruction to keep strict time to heart). If Bernstein’s greater flexibility of pulse makes the grief more personal, Payare’s reading suggests a more corporate pain. The first trio (5’07”) is wild and impassioned, the anguished wailing of the brass leading to the music’s collapse at 6’35”. Tension never sags and the second trio builds to second overwhelming climax, its implosion winding down to a desolate coda suggesting all is lost.
The second movement is fast, but the strings are not as vehement as Bernstein’s Vienna players. Abbado and Mackerras are faster still, creating a feeling that the music might go off the rails at any moment – an effective interpretive choice. The first contrasting episode (1’20”) is beautifully shaped, as is the second (4’16”), though here Bernstein is unparalleled, conjuring a heart-wrenching moment of desperate grief only hinted at here. More impressive is how each time the opening music returns, Payare asks for a higher level of vehemence and fury, which makes the climax (10’25”) more brutally destructive. The build-up to the ‘victory’ theme is also unerringly managed, though Abbado and Mackerras are even better at suggesting this is a true victory, that is then shockingly ripped away by the return of the opening material.
Related Posts
- Mahler – Symphony No. 5 – A Beginners Guide
- Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 4 – Les Siècles, Roth
- Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 7 – Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Kirill Petrenko
The Scherzo tests any orchestra’s virtuosity, and the Montreal players offer corporate and soloistic brilliance. Principal horn Catherine Turner (kudos to Pentatone for including the orchestra roster in the booklet) plays the solo horn part with panache and sensitivity. The movement’s six episodes are shaped with a convincing sense of the architecture and drama, heightening the music’s contrasts of country ländlers and city waltzes. The episode at 5’10” is particularly touching, as horn calls usher us into a mysterious serenity that immediately suggests the mountain music of the sixth and seventh symphonies. The coda is exciting, save for one interpretative misstep: at 16’50” Payare conducts the music in a slow three instead of quick one, which is arguably a misreading of Mahler’s intent and unconvincing on repeated listening. Nevertheless, the final bars bring a suitable rush of adrenaline.
The Adagietto, played in a little under nine minutes, is sweet and songful, much like the readings by Mengelberg and Walter. The string sound is gorgeous, rapt and intimate, with a beguiling delicacy in softer passages and a richly fulsome climax when Mahler quotes “Ich bin die Welt abhanden” (I am alone in the world) at the end.
The opening of the last movement sparkles, the bassoon particularly animated. Again, Payare maintains forward momentum, the playing lithe and athletic. Payare has said in interviews that this movement conveys the joy Mahler was feeling as a newly married man leading the Vienna State Opera – and joy is exactly what this performance conveys (listen to the almost rambunctious giddiness of the strings at 5’45”). The Adagietto’s love theme is beautifully shaped each time it reappears here, and the build-up and arrival of the victorious chorale theme has all the weight and emotional catharsis one wants. The coda features some thrilling playing from the low brass, bringing this impressive performance to a rousing conclusion.
Pentatone’s ancillary materials are excellent. A highly recommended listen and an auspicious start for this partnership.
Mahler – Symphony No. 5
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Rafael Payare – Conductor
Pentatone 5187067
Recommended Comparisons
Read more classical music reviews or visit The Classic Review Amazon store
Follow Us and Comment:
Get our periodic classical music newsletter with our recent reviews, news and beginners guides.
We respect your privacy.
