Symphony no. 3

"Presto disc of the week: Haitink has long been regarded as one of our least egocentric and interventionist conductors, and I don't think I've ever felt that more keenly than on this recording ... Throughout the long first movement in particular, there's a sense that the music is simply being allowed to unfold itself organically rather than being driven too hard".

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"Recording of the month: Haitink and his Bavarian players respond with substantial vigour and often impassioned orchestral splendour ... In Haitink's hands the music feels like a portrayal of the transformation in the forest from day into night ... In a haunting rendition German contralto Gerhild Romberger displays her smooth, creamy voice to significant effect creating a sensual atmosphere ... Impressive singing from the Augsburger Domsingknaben and Frauenchor des Bayerischen Runfunks that communicates warm sincerity ... This live Haitink account on BR Klassik has real gravitas and is certainly worthy of joining my recommendation list".

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"Recording of the month: "Fischer ... is a challenge, inviting listeners to rethink and recalibrate their responses to the piece. Not everyone will be prepared to make the leap, but those who do will be handsomely rewarded. Without question, the finest instalment in Fischer's Mahler cycle to date; and what breathtaking sound".

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"There are great recordings ... that have a special place in my own Mahler collection for one reason or another, but Honeck's execptional account, magnificently played and nobly conceived, now takes a place of honour alongside them".

"Stenz is good at grabbing the listener's ear with the dramatic gesture. So too does he move from the broad expressions of the opening to the more subtle moments, by turns folk-like and ethereal, in the movements to come ... At 94 minutes this is a brisk Third that rarely feels rushed, due to both Stenz's control and ... the Cologne Philharmonie ... Where it stumbles, albeit briefly, is in the voices".

"Vurdering: E (Editor's choice)" - "This is proving to be a searchlight among Mahler cycles - a conductor, Jonathan Nott, and an orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, who throw up more revealing detail and say more about these symphonies than many of the established heavyweights".

"While the performance feels most engaged when the music is in repose, the inner movements are more than adequately eloquent. The excellent posthorn solos in the third are credited to Martin Angerer ... Gerhild Romberger has an old-fashioned contralto-ish timbre in the Nietzsche setting ... The choirs sound lovely in the fifth movement and the finale has always been a Haitink speciality, plainly spoke and all the more moving for it".

"[In] Mahler's flabbergasting first movement ... Fischer makes something really outrageous of the Ivesian development section ... Mahler's flora and fauna then come vividly alive in the inner movements, the 'flower' movement nuanced with real Viennese charm ... The soloists Frank Ludemann keeps those solos simple and true - and thus all the more moving. Larsson is truly the voice of wisdom and experience in the Nietzsche setting, the perfect colour".

"Uttrycksfullhet, detaljrikedom och omsorgsfullhet har blivit något av ett signum för Fischer och den orkester han själv grundade för drygt tre decennier sedan. Frågon är om Budapestorkestern någonsin har varit bättre: silkeslena stråkar, klart och uttrycksfullt träblås och ett brass med imponerande tyngd och med härligt utmejslade trombonsolon ... en angenäm lyssningsupplevelse".

"Editor's choice: Here for once is a Mahler symphony release that feels different from the outset ... I doubt whether there has ever been a more precisely focused, more sheerly beautiful recording of any Mahler work ... Reluctant to parade its roughest edges and disinclined to hurry, Fischer instead elicits a range of pristine, jewel-like colour that leaves its fabric refreshed ... This Third is a must-have".

"Vurdering: E (Editor's choice)" - "A Mahler Third from Mariss Jansons in Amsterdam that looks on the bright side".

"The conductor's take on the gigantic Third is much as expected ... The playing is always fortright and forward-looking with Gergiev tending to dispense with gaps between movements".

"The recorded sound is magnificent, with plenty of transparency allied to great warmth. This is an immensely satisfying new release from every point of view".