RSO Berlin, Riccardo Chailly - Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (2000)

As we all know, Gustav Mahler didn't actually compose a 10th symphony, or if he did, it was "Das Lied von der Erde," which he didn't call his 10th symphony because he was superstitious enough to believe that since Beethoven died before he could write a 10th, so might Mahler. He turned out to be right. Of a "10th" symphony, he wrote only the first movement more or less completely; the second is half done; the third is mostly unorchestrated; and the last two are well structured but remain almost entirely unorchestrated. In 1959, musicologist Deryck Cooke put together what he called "a performing version of the draft for the 10th Symphony," and it has been played (and recorded) occasionally in that form and is deemed quite a success--a sort of "next best thing." Much of it is remarkable, top-drawer Mahler, with all the potency, sadness (he was grieving over his wife's infidelity while he was composing the last three movements), and even playfulness (the second movement) he was capable of. Riccardo Chailly leads a beautiful reading in this re-release of a 1988 recording, and it is recommended. For another take, with an alteration or two, an early Simon Rattle recording is worth hearing. But Mahlerites will need a 10th, even if it was cursed. -- Robert Levine