Gianandrea Noseda’s Mahler Seventh with the National Symphony Orchestra has a particular orchestral character: the sound isn’t the polished, almost clinical finish you hear from some European orchestras, but it also avoids the New York Philharmonic’s sharper edge, or that high-wire volatility Bernstein can bring, where the music feels close to breaking point.
The strings play with a beautifully tone, arguably a little too emphatic for a symphony that thrives on shadow and ambiguity. The brass and woodwinds deliver their lines solidly.
Sonically, there’s a slightly Hollywood sheen at moments (the first movement around 12’00” is a good example). The performance places Mahler, interpretively, closer to the 19th century than to the more unsettling, forward-looking side of the score.
Some will appreciate this perspective; others may miss a deeper sense of strain (especially in the finale, where tension doesn’t fully accumulate) and may prefer more disquieting accounts from Bernstein, Gielen, or Rattle.
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Album Details |
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|---|---|
| Album name | Mahler – Symphony No. 7 |
| Label | National Symphony Orchestra |
| Catalogue No. | NSO0022 |
| Artists | National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) |
