Gustav MAHLER: Sinfonía nº 4. Juliane Banse; Orquesta de Cleveland; Pierre Boulez. Deutsche Grammophon 463257-2 [53'32"]

Performance: ++++     Recording: +++++

The Boulez Mahler cycle continues, never failing to be of interest. I'm equally sure this latest instalment, bringing the great French conductor to Mahler's most popular work, will also divide opinions just as the others have, maybe more. Ever the clear-eyed interpreter of Mahler, Boulez barely acknowledges the availability in the score of the many expressive opportunities other conductors use to the full. At the fourth bar of the first movement, for example, where others have been known to almost bring proceedings to a halt, Boulez's mere Gallic shrug in the direction of Mahler's marking (and the performance tradition) itself stands out. An expressive opportunity more conspicuous in the breach rather than the observance, I think. This general attitude will be one of this recording's most obvious fingerprints as the same sharpness of focus continues through the first movement where a brisk, clear, neo-classical effect is aimed for and achieved. This impression is assisted by a care for balancing every section of the orchestra so nothing protrudes to rock the boat. To some this will be evidence of coldness, to others it will be a refreshing «back to basics» that takes us further into the origins of this work as representative of Mahler's «Wunderhorn» period. Not least with the trumpet figure Mahler called the «Kleiner Appel» and later recalled at the start of his Fifth Symphony. Here this crucial appearance, half way through the movement, is buried by Boulez within the texture rather than trying to override it which it sometimes does in other versions where conductors try to make a link to a work Mahler had not even considered when he wrote this one.

The second movement continues Boulez's general approach but deepens the music with superb woodwind solos from the Cleveland players caught by the fine recorded balance. What we hear in the third movement is remarkable for its lack of pretension and its stress on classical poise. I was even reminded of the slow movement of the Schubert String Quintet at the start, so fine is Boulez's sense of stillness achieved without an especially slow overall tempo. In the first main variation notice too the balance of oboe against horn and then the surprisingly expressive quality that emerges chaste on the strings. Another point to listen for is how the timpani are never in danger of overwhelming the more passionate, climactic passages. So Boulez's watchwords of «balance», «poise» and «transparency» really do reveal details others can miss. The aftermath of the central climax of the slow movement, where the gates of heaven are flung open by Mahler, is especially fine in this respect and also structurally accentuates the arc-like design of the movement.

Juliane Banse sings beautifully in the last movement, making no attempt to impose herself too much as some singers make the mistake of doing. Of course some will say she should sound more child-like, just as Mahler intended, but she's not alone in concentrating on the notes and words and I was delighted by her contribution as it's beautifully tailored to the rest of the performance which is, after all, as it should be.

For many this new recording will be too clear-eyed, too lacking in character, too tidy a performance of this lovely work. For me it represents Boulez's Mahler at its best and shows a certain degree of warmth that's crucially tempered by that classical poise to give another refreshing view of a work we might think we are all too familiar with. As so often with Boulez in Mahler, this is not a leading choice. Rather it's a first-rate alternative to more familiar versions by Kletzki, Horenstein and Szell, to name but three. No praise can be too high for the Cleveland Orchestra or the Deutsche Grammophon recording.