MAHLER Symphony No. 4 • Bernard Haitink, cond; Christine Schäfer (sop); Royal Concertgebouw O • RCO LIVE 7003 (Hybrid multichannel SACD: 54:47) Live: Amsterdam 11/7/2006

The RCO Live series of Mahler symphonies continues, this time under the direction of the orchestra’s conductor laureate. There are three earlier commercial recordings of the Fourth conducted by Haitink, though the earliest (1967), also with the Concertgebouw, is currently obtainable only in the set of the complete symphonies on Philips; the soloist on that occasion was the wonderful Elly Ameling, a soprano whose light-textured voice is eminently suited to Mahler’s finale. The second, a remake in Amsterdam from 1983, appears to have been deleted. Available on Philips CDs and DVDs is a third performance (1991) with the Berliners and the superb Sylvia McNair.

Haitink sets a leisurely pace for the first movement, though not as leisurely as Michael Tilson Thomas, nor indeed as that of his own earlier performance in Berlin, both of which add a full minute to the 16:38 of the current performance. “Leisurely” describes the exposition in its entirety; the tension introduced by the minor-mode themes in the development disturbs this initial geniality in typical Mahler fashion, and Haitink once again proves himself to be a Mahlerian of the first rank by giving the proceedings a sardonic edge without descending into parody. The lightness of the violins is brilliantly contrasted with the pesante quality of the basses.

Sardonic is an apt description of the solo violin in the Scherzo as well. It’s hard to take this manifestation of death too seriously when it’s surrounded by music of such good humor played with such panache. Every instrumental voice is audible in a sound production notable for clarity of texture, attributable no doubt to both conductor and engineering staff. The Trios possess a lovely lilting quality, and a wistfulness that is a perfect foil for the whiney violin solo.

The deep sense of calm (Ruhevoll) at the heart of the slow movement is conveyed by a flowing tempo that finds a steady pulse. A harbinger of the Fifth Symphony’s Adagietto is established by the yearning of the violins, perfectly captured here; as the music intensifies with the shift in emphasis to the winds and to the minor mode, Mahler’s often turbulent emotion (“calm” indeed!) finds powerful expression in this performance. The build-up to the “Heavenly gates” is stately without becoming pompous or portentous; the gates themselves open to a splendid fanfare. The movement ends in the serenity with which it opened.

Christine Schäfer possesses the inflection and lightness of timbre that I find most attractive in “Das himmlische Leben.” In addition, hers is an animated and characterful catalog of heavenly delights. Haitink accompanies with a perfect combination of childish impetuosity and naive wonder. The vigorous appreciation expressed by the audience is briefly audible at the end of the performance.

There are nearly 100 recordings of this symphony available. Those conducted by Haitink belong in the handful of top recommendations. In the more rarified air of SACD, Michael Tilson Thomas is still hard to beat, though his extremely expansive third movement still gives me pause. Boulez (DG) too often merely skims the surface of this most popular symphony; Reiner on RCA, at midprice and newly remastered to surround sound, offers the best value-for-money—at least until Zinman reaches No. 4 sometime later this year.

This new Haitink, however, tops my list: with a sound production that is full-bodied, closely miked, and with deep and resonant bass, it is an easy recommendation to make. The richness of the sound may be attributable in part to the reunion of orchestra and conductor for a concert celebrating Haitink’s first appearance 50 years earlier. The absence of a text for the song is a minor omission in an otherwise splendid production.

FANFARE: Christopher Abbot