Deryk Barker replied about the Levi / von Stade Mahler 4 recording:

>It has some nice moments, is well-played and recorded, but I don't really
>feel Levi is a natural Mahlerian and the work doesn't flow or cohere as it
>should.

I'll go along with Deryk here.  The middle movements work best: the
Scherzo is surprisingly lyrical, which does fine with me, and Ruhevoll
is beautifully shaped.  von Stade's voice sounds too mature for me in the
finale to the 4th, where I prefer a more youthful and angelic sound.  The
Wayfarer songs get a solid though not spectacular effort from both soloist
and orchestra.

It sounds like Don is more attuned to Levi's Mahler than Deryk is; he might
find reason enough to check this one out (and he doesn't seem to need very
much encouragement).

Tim Dickinson
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