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There are aspects of this set that rank among the absolute best Mahler that has ever been recorded. I have rarely, if ever, been disappointed by the brilliance and insight of DeWaart's conducting, and this set rarely falls short of his high standards. I will only point out a few examples: the big trombone solo passages in the 1st Movement of the Third Symphony are absolutely the best I have ever heard: not only is the sound of the instrument amazingly rich and powerful---like the "sound of nature" that Mahler conceived here---but De Waarts's conducting takes this music into another realm altogether; every detail of Mahler's scoring comes through with stunning clarity, and every nuance in tempo is observed. Must be heard to be believed.

The 4th symphony also contains passages that are revelatory; much of the 1st movement, starting with the 4 unison flutes (in A Major), piping away with their jolly tune, has an airy, folksy quality that captures exactly the character and spirit of the music. Similarly, the utterly calm, mystical reverence of the latter half of the 3rd movement defies description.

The orchestral playing is magnificent throughout, and the sound quality could not be better; it is rich and full-bodied, and fabulously detailed. Of course, few conductors, if any, can maintain a consistently high level of interpretation throughout a massive undertaking such as the Mahler symphonies, and I confess I found much of the 8th Symphony surprisingly lacking in conviction, though the incredible ending in this performance makes up for it. (I believe that every performance in this set was recorded live except for the Third Symphony).

The instability of the classical record market must have caused RCA to dump this set when it had only been on the market a short time. A real shame, since the overall level of DeWaart's cycle places it in the company of the very best Mahler recordings of all time.


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