The most enigmatic 9th??
Of all the great 9th Symphonies - and it's quite surprising how many composers died soon after their 9th's, a "trend" seemingly set by Beethoven himself (I can think of at least 7 famous composers!) - Mahler's is possibly the most enigmatic. This places it as arguably the most difficult of all the great 9th's, and indeed even of all Mahler's Symphonies. The composer was breaking new ground here, influenced in no small part by the fast-ascending, atonal explorations of the 2nd Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg & Webern, not to mention other early 20th Cent. composers such as Bartok and Stravinsky. Mahler's position as Music Director of the HofOpera in Vienna for a decade, meant he could not possibly have been untouched by all the greatest artistic influences surrounding the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
This music explores the chromatic world of music more than any of his previous symphonies, & I guess one could argue that Mahler had not entirely "come to rest" in this new world, suggesting his 9th was only an early foray into what was to become a driving force in music for much of the last century. We can only salivate over what might have been, had he lived another decade or two; after all, he was only 50 when he died in 1911.
Barbirolli is one of those rare conductors who can not only unfold each moment of the music with an all-encompassing preciousness, but, at the same time, keep his eye on the horizon. This is extremely rare, as too many of today's conductors indulge in the moment without keeping that essential focus on the bigger picture - the make or break of a great Bruckner or Mahler performance!! One need only compare the Barshai Mahler 5th, where the playing is excellent, but the whole story is somehow lost in detail.
Moreover, Barbirolli makes perfect sense of the weird eccentricities of this monumental symphony, which is again quite rare. Other great performances of this symphony are the Horenstein live performance, and the Bruno Walter 1938 performance. For me, the latter is a little light & transparent for my tastes, though the "inner knowledge" and "vision" is worth it in the end.
No one who loves this symphony will be disappointed with this performance. For interested Barbirolli fans, possibly the greatest recording of Mahler's 6th (my favourite) is his live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic, as is this recording. On the other hand, most of his Mahler recordings with his beloved Halle Orchestra are - for me - disappointing.
