Can Gergiev still do Mahler?
Why MahlerEarly in his international career, Valery Gergiev professed himself a Mahler enthusiast and conducted the symphonies with great engagement whenever he got the opportunity.
For the past three years, as a Putin collaborator, he has been an international pariah and a Russian emperor, in charge of the country’s two greatest music institutions.
So how’s his Mahler doing? On the evidence of this fifth symphony last week, sneaked somehow onto Youtube, not terribly well.
The opening movement is robotic and (to my ears) triumphalist, the scherzo perfunctory, the adagietto unfeeling. The Mariinsky orchestra is is pretty good form, though, and the audience is much younger than those in the West.
The symphony starts at 1:31. Judge for yourselves.
They and the music need more sun.
I know that geography shouldn’t determine whether or not someone is natural Mahler conductor, but what is it about the Russians? Gergiev’s LSO set had little to redeem it; maybe you who heard them performed in person have a different reaction. The Svetlanov recordings are awful. Kondrashin is pretty good, but then he was good at everything he did.
I beg to differ. His Mahler 2 in Munich is great (video of the performance available on YouTube). And the tape from their live performance of Mahler 5 in Paris (was it 2019?) is also great. And regarding Russians and Mahler, you should look into what Vladimir Jurowski and Tugan Sokhiev are doing (although only the former has recorded Mahler so far)
Does Kirill Petrenko count as Russian?
At least Gergiev did not leave at the middle of the adagietto for a quick chat with Putin. Not to be taken for granted.
Mahler dredges spiritual depths in his striving. Gergiev has embraced something devoid of spirituality or truth. Is this performance surprising therefore?
He still uses a toothpick for a bsaton?