EuroArts has recently issued a DVD of Mahler's 4th Symphony and 5 Ruckert-Lieder performed by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Magdalena Kozena (mezzo-soprano), conducted by Claudio Abbado. I recommend this wonderful DVD for three reasons: (1) the music, (2) the performance and (3) the conducting. Anybody still having doubts about Mahler's music is invited to listen to these performances. They perfectly express the spiritual journeys of the music. They are coherent, they make sense of the music and they are deeply moving. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra is hand-picked from the finest orchestral soloists and chamber music players in the world. The result is an orchestra that plays like a chamber ensemble: every detail clear, all nuances audible, superlative phrasing, wonderfully expressive playing, perfect balance between the instruments. In this recording we also hear (and see) a superb performance of 5 Ruckert songs by Magdalena Kozena. Abbado's conducting is special. He is not the great maestro imposing his vision on an army of obedient foot-soldiers. He is a loving fellow-musician helping his friends to create a coordinated vision of the music - a vision that encourages everyone to express themselves with maximum eloquence - a vision that combines the musical genius of each player into a coherent whole. Abbado often smiles. His gestures are always elegant and expressive. There is no score: everything is in his head: the notes, the phrasing, the balance, the tempos, the architecture; above all, the emotional meaning of the music. The players respond by moving about far more than is usual in orchestras - and also playing with total accuracy: the intonation and rhythm never falter. After the music ends, there is an incredibly long period of silence as the audience continues to live in the magic of the music - responding to Abbado's skilful handling of the baton as well as the music. At the end of the performance, all the players embrace: the concert has been an inspiring event for everyone. This DVD continues a series of recordings with Abbado conducting both the Lucerne Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. The series also includes the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 9th Mahler Symphonies and Bruckner's 7th. All the recordings are superb. There is also a DVD with a profile of Abbado: Hearing the Silence. We learn that he is recovering from cancer and that music "is his best medicine". He speaks the most beautiful Italian. It is a lovely profile. These DVDs are musical jewels.

Reviewed by Mark Lowe