Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson - The Mahler Album [SACD] (2011) [DSD64] DSF + HDTracks

By virtue of its definitive-sounding title, one might expect The Mahler Album to be a compilation of excerpted movements from the symphonies or song cycles, or at least to contain music only by Gustav Mahler. As it is, this SACD from Channel Classics presents the famous Adagietto from the Symphony No. 5, a string orchestra arrangement by Mahler of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, "Quartetto Serioso," and Hans Stadlmair's 1971 string arrangement of the Adagio of the unfinished Symphony No. 10. While it is indeed music composed or arranged by Mahler, almost 22 minutes out of the album's hour length is of interest mostly to specialists, because the string quartet arrangement is more of a curiosity than an essential part of the Mahler experience. Performed only once in 1899 and essentially forgotten until it was published in 1990, this version of the "Quartetto Serioso" is controversial because the intimate nature of the chamber piece is dramatically changed in the thickened textures and greater volume of a string orchestra. It is a rarity for Mahler buffs, and it is not representative of the composer's output and characteristic expression, so the average listener might be a bit confused by its inclusion. More helpful are the two selections that bookend the program, and conductor Candida Thompson and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta deliver them in full-throated expression, in a manner that is quite lush and passionate. Newcomers to Mahler who seek a more representative compilation might try EMI's Mahler: Adagios, but this album is best appreciated by more experienced Mahlerians.