Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 6 in A minor, “Tragic”
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
Markus Stenz, conductor
In garish tones and with the largest orchestral apparatus
that he ever used, Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is a
work full of extremes, ranging from the sweetly cantabile
melodiousness of the Andante’s main theme
to the chordal agglomerations breaking out in triple
forte “with raw force” at the centre of the Finale’s development
section. After wave-like upswings to the
highest bliss, everything sinks back down into the final
catastrophe.
As the next-to-last release in the Mahler SACD
cycle,
OehmsClassics presents a live recording from
the Cologne Philharmonie made in November 2013.