Radio 3 Record Review
18th December 2021
Record of the Week
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski
Jurowski’s foray into Mahler with the London Philharmonic Orchestra started when he was in his mid-30s back in 2009 with Mahler 2, and on release, it received immense praise Gramophone observing that it is ‘the prime recommendation, the "library" choice, that has for so long eluded us’ and of his Mahler 1 BBC Music Magazine noted ‘Everything about the dewy dawn of this Mahler One is perfect.’ I have shared the recording with a couple of valued colleagues well versed with Mahler, and the feedback has been encouraging 'a sensational realisation of a fabulous performance by all concerned...I have never heard the RFH organ balanced so perfectly right down to the lowest pedals.’ and 'why is the applause after Part 1 left in… it breaks the tension?’. You can’t keep a good crowd quiet - the applause was so spontaneous we couldn't extract it in the editing/post-production!
Jurowski succeeds in Mahler where many don’t and this is down to his approach to the drama and his musical shaping being exceptional. On top of all this Jurowski’s way of delineating Mahler’s textures and internal balancing of the ensemble is remarkable, none more so than in this recording taken from a single concert performance with over 400 performers.
"The LPO Live label already boasts one Eighth – Tennstedt, live in the same venue in 1991 – worthy of a place at the summit of the Eighth’s discography. Now it has a second." - Gramophone Magazine, December 2021.
