Donald Scarinci wrote:

>3.  Mahler, Symphony 6 by Berstein/Vienna Phil on DG.

The Bernstein is a fine performance, though I find that he misses some
"punch" in the first movement on both of his recordings.

Incidentally, BMG regularly offers Boulez's Mahler 6, which has improved
sound over the Bernstein (though the hammer blows are close to inaudible).
Since it is on a single CD, it will normally be cheaper than the Bernstein
(unless LB's is on clearance).  I like these two performances about equally
well.

>(I'd go with the 5.1 surround sound TELARC with Levi except that he
>eliminates the repeat.  Eternal damnation to Levi regardless of the sound
>quality or the performance.  If the composer said repeat, the conductor
>MUST repeat.  So Levi is NOT an option even though I'm otherwise ALWAYS
>persuaded by recorded sound quality over performance when I buy).

As for the repeat, I agree that it should be done (let's don't get
into THAT argument again) but I can live with a performance which doesn't
observe it if there are compensating factors.  As for ignoring the
composer's instructions, Levi also does so with his extremely fast pace
of the opening march tempo (marked "Allegro energico, ma non troppo", Levi
doesn't obey the ma non troppo).  I find that this march works fine when
done quickly (see also Bernstein/Sony and Kubelik for fine performances
with quick marches; Jarvi is reportedly the fastest around but I haven't
heard him) and that this performance overall is easily Levi's finest
Mahler on record.  So I for one can live with it just fine.  However,
the tempo/repeat factors make this recording ill suited to be one's only
recording of this music.  Incidentally, I suspect that the repeat was cut
so that the performance would fit on a single CD.

Barbirolli's is another notorious alternative view - besides not taking the
repeat, he ignores the "Allegro" indication of the opening tempo.  Yet his
is a devastatingly tragic view that should be included in any reasonable
survey of Mahler sixths.  I say this even though I'm not fully convinced by
his approach.  Our appreciation of music can sometimes be victimized by our
dogmatism.

Tim Dickinson
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