I see that I once described Levi's Mahler as having exquisite table manners and very little to say for itself. Typical of a certain type of modern Mahler interpreter, he goes for immaculate articulation and consistent balances at the expense of emotional intensity. The finale of Mahler's Seventh Symphony - like Beethoven's - demands a conductor peculiarly attuned to its manic brand of rhetoric. If he or she cannot deliver this convincingly, the movement can sound dreadfully hollow, just so much empty posturing and rodomontade. Like Boulez, Levi attempts to (under) play it straight, and the result falls predictably flat. Would-be virtues - such as a sensible initial tempo - actually work against him; everything comes to sound plodding and foursquare, a problem exacerbated by the insufficient distinction made between Tempo I (the Meistersinger-type pomp element) and Tempo II (the cod-Entfuhrung). The Sempre l'istesso tempo (1'49'') is terribly plain, with little of Bernstein's charm; the mock minuets are leaden, the riot of bells at the end merely tame.
Working backwards through the work, the second Nachtmusik is briskly done at a moderate two-in-a-bar; the Scherzo is orchestrally secure if prosaic; the first Nachtmusik is decently played but too reserved. The burnished glow which Michael Tilson Thomas gets from the LSO horns at the outset of the march theme (fig 72) completely eludes Levi (1'34''). Worse, the symphony's very opening comes dangerously close to torpor. This is not merely a question of tempo: those dotted dactylic rhythms in the woodwind need to sound a lot more craggy than they do here. And I wasn't convinced by Levi's clipped phrasing throughout the martial Allegro con fuoco. This lends the main theme a certain daintiness which isn't in keeping with the boisterous quality of Mahler's inspiration. The great B major episode Sehr breit (from 12'53'') is finely done, probably the most successful thing on these discs, even if the strings could do with a touch more lustre when reaching for the heights. Taken as a whole, the performance is decent enough, yet it obstinately refuses to catch fire: the players seem jaded - perhaps there was simply too much rehearsal.
You can assess how far we have travelled (and at what cost) by sampling a recently issued radio tape from the combined Halle and BBC Northern Symphony Orchestras (to be reviewed in full next month). These musicians also sound jaded, though for very different reasons. Astonishingly, Nielsen's Fifth was also on their programme and 40 years ago neither work was exactly staple fare. By modern standards the performance is a shambles, but no one could ever accuse Sir John Barbirolli's music-making of being anodyne or under-characterised! Only if you like your Mahler suave and sophisticated will Levi really seem preferable.
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