# 100 Favorites: # 53



## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Bruno Walter, Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Sony)*










The Ninth was my entry point into Mahler's world, so it's always been special to me. Choosing just one version was very difficult! I was torn between this Bruno Walter recording, Bernstein's M9 with the Concertgebouw, and Horenstein's M9 with the Vienna SO on Vox.

Bernstein's reading is an epic roller-coaster ride, the most _extreme_ version that I've ever heard. It's the type of interpretation that people tend to love or hate. I love it. Horenstein's approach is very different. Despite the limitations of mono sound and a less-than-world-class orchestra, Horenstein reading has a stoic but burning intensity.

In the liner notes to his recording, Bruno Walter explains how he sees the Ninth as a return to the sound-world of Mahler's earlier, Wunderhorn symphonies. I suppose that's one of the things that drew me to his recording. The music is not only valedictory and tragic; there's innocence, wonderment, and even joy in the music too.


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