Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (2013)

The contemporary trend to perform the discarded "Blumine" as the second movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major is one of the most regrettable choices conductors can make. Though this slow, sentimental piece was indeed part of the Symphonic Poem in Two Parts, later dubbed "Titan" (the original conception of the symphony), Mahler cut it and published the revised Symphony No. 1 without it. His decision was the only sensible one, because "Blumine" dissipates the hard-won energy of the first movement and ... Read More

The contemporary trend to perform the discarded "Blumine" as the second movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major is one of the most regrettable choices conductors can make. Though this slow, sentimental piece was indeed part of the Symphonic Poem in Two Parts, later dubbed "Titan" (the original conception of the symphony), Mahler cut it and published the revised Symphony No. 1 without it. His decision was the only sensible one, because "Blumine" dissipates the hard-won energy of the first movement and interrupts the forward momentum of the symphony, which must continue through the highly active Scherzo to propel the work. Yet Vladimir Jurowski, like several of his well-meaning colleagues, performs the symphony with "Blumine" as a presumed act of restoration, and the results are not inspiring. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays the symphony with professionalism and polish, and this live recording has a promising start. But the symphony's trajectory is broken because of the insertion of... Read Less