The more curious sort of music lover will already know the talents of Thierry Fischer, who is today the musical director of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. On Hypérion, he made a splash a few years ago with a remarkable recording of The Tempest by Frank Martin, and before that, he appeared in the programmes of Indy or Honegger. With the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, he also produced some records dedicated to Stravinsky. He also seems to be drawn to Mahler. His Titan has already been released, also on Reference Recordings. Within the world of Mahler, Thierry Fischer is building a vision which is clear, with gentle contours and stunning clarity and élan, and which makes full use of the beautiful raw materials of the Utah Symphony, which is well used to this repertoire. In the 1970s, Maurice Abravanel, the historic leader of the orchestra, recorded one of the first-ever complete collections of Mahler's symphonies to be performed on the American continent (his direct competitor at the time was Bernstein in New York, with CBS). The orchestra has been able to retain the diaphanous luminosity typical of Abravanel's recordings. This Mahler, sung thoughtfully, limpid, and which gives up none of the composer's instrumental and dramatic research, is powerfully good. Sumptuous sound engineering, and pitch-perfect singing. © PYL