Mahler: Symphony No.3
Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto)
Mariss Jansons / Bavarian Radio Symphony (BR Media)
(scroll down for English review)
楊遜斯和BRSO在2010年的現場錄音，近月推出。興起樂團自主推出錄音的這20年，楊遜斯是代表人物，可是他在阿姆斯特丹及慕尼黑的現場錄音頗多，反而沒有他在EMI時那麼多標誌式的名盤。
這張馬勒三也是好壞參半，還好是漸入佳境。第一樂章雖然演奏算是幼細，但就沒有了原始及原野的力量，我覺得楊遜斯在每個章節完結之前，氣氛其實還未到盡，於是結構上的反復就如同機械的重覆。第二及三樂章開頭的木管造句甚有心思，第四及五樂章Nathalie Stutzmann的女低音獨唱帶動了樂章的方向，尤其是第四樂章，要不是Stutzmann這麼好氣，這種慢速要不令獨唱無聲，要不就要唱到一截一截。
第六樂章很大機會會令人不知用甚麼音量聽，尤其是不習慣在現場聽的朋友，這個錄音的音量頗為忠實，弱音很弱，強音很強，當然先決條件是指揮實際是採用這種音量反差。其實不只是音量的選擇，我相信楊遜斯是刻意營造非常激動的高潮，這種取態無論是錄音或現場都不多見，也令這個樂章是此錄音最傑出的部分。
This is Jansons’ 2010 live recording with the BRSO, newly issued on CD. Jansons had lots of live recordings with the BRSO and the Concertgebouw Orchestra issued on the orchestras’ own labels, but strangely, these recordings rarely attained reference status as some of his EMI recordings.
This Mahler 3 started not so well and ended gloriously. The first movement was neatly played but lacked primaeval power. The woodwind solos of the second and third movements were tastefully phrased, and Nathalie Stutzmann’s contralto solo carried the weight of the fourth and fifth movements. The slow tempo of the fourth movement wouldn’t work without Stutzmann’s extraordinary breath control.
Listeners who are more used to home listening than concerts might find it difficult to find the right playing volume for the sixth movement. I must give credit to the BR engineers to stay faithful to Jansons’ extreme volume levels. The pianissimos were very soft and the fortissimos were real loud. It wasn’t just the decibels because Jansons tackled the climaxes with fire. That was hardly the case in both recordings or concerts so the sixth movement was the truly remarkable portion of this live recording.