New Release Special - Mahler 10 Remade Again....

[Richard Barrett]

the "density of musical event" feels more sustained through all five movements than in various recordings of the Cooke version I've heard

I've listened to it now. I think putting in a piano wasn't such a great idea, especially the cluster of strummed piano strings at the beginning of the fifth movement - if you're going to go that far you might as well go the whole way and invent a completely unMahlerian sound for the piece. Apart from that I would say the fourth movement is the most interesting realisation I've heard so far... although as you suggest it also made me change my mind about some of the versions that already exist. Particularly Barshai, who just throws too much stuff at Mahler's sketch, and Mazzetti - I have the Lopez-Cobos recording and don't remember much about it except that it stays relatively sparse while not giving the impression as with Cooke that something is actually "missing".