Death -- both abstract and real -- appears to be the subject of this double-disc set from Profil, not only because the featured works are based on that subject, but also because the recordings themselves are presented as a memorial.
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D major is regarded as one of his most death-obsessed works (along with his Kindertotenlieder, the Symphony No. 6, and Das Lied von der Erde), and its pairing with
Richard Strauss' Tod und Verklärung lends this 2007 release a serious tone that some will take as somber, even morbid, while others will find it thought-provoking and quite appropriate. Add to this the label's salute to conductor
Giuseppe Sinopoli, who died suddenly on April 20, 2001, just three months after recording Tod und Verklärung, and the package may seem almost depressing. But that's not what comes across in
Sinopoli's lyrical performances, which pulse with life and color, and ebb and flow with many other emotions than those associated with death. Indeed,
Sinopoli's performances with the
Dresden Staatskapelle radiate warmth, gentleness, and a spirit of compassion that is far from morose or cheerless. Where disc 1 is made up of the Ninth's first three movements -- the most questioning, ironic, and grotesque of the piece -- disc 2 presents the redemptive Finale and the shimmering Tod und Verklärung, and the two combine into a beatific vision of death that both composers apparently held in common. These performances are subdued and quite a bit slower than is customary, and because of the extremely wide frequency range of these recordings, the sound may seem a little muted at a middle volume level; but be sure to turn it up a little higher to hear all the details and appreciate the orchestra's lush and luminous sonorities.