Before Simon Rattle, only two other conductors had recorded
Mahler's Ninth Symphony with both the
Wiener Philharmoniker and the
Berliner Philharmoniker:
Claudio Abbado and
Leonard Bernstein (although it should be added that
Bernstein also recorded the work with the
New York Philharmonic and the
Concertgebouw Orchestra and that his Vienna performance is available only as a video.) Placed in that company,
Rattle emerges about mid-pack, making a stronger impression than
Bernstein by eliciting supremely taught playing from the Berlin group, but falling short of
Abbado's unrelenting intensity and attention to detail. Where
Rattle is content to allow the
Vienna Orchestra to cruise on sensual autopilot,
Abbado demands complete attention, forcing the ensemble to play even better than it usually does. So, while the sound of the world's most virtuosic orchestra tearing loose in the Rondo-Burleske under
Rattle is undeniably breathtaking, one may miss the warmth, passion, and dedication of the performance with
Abbado. However, the English conductor manifestly knows the work backwards and forwards, and his leadership is highly illuminating in the works knottiest pages. EMI's digital sound for
Rattle is lush and full, but, again, not nearly as vividly present as DG's digital sound for
Abbado.