Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Carlo Maria Giulini - Mahler: Symphony No. 1 "Titan" (1971/2021)

AllMusic Review by Mike D. Brownell
Having long ago firmly establishing itself as one of the world's greatest orchestras, the Chicago Symphony has also played host to some of the world's preeminent conductors, both as guests and artistic directors. Over the past several decades, many of these conductors have produced countless recordings with the CSO. Perhaps second in quantity only to Beethoven, the CSO has churned out a staggering number of recordings of Mahler symphonies, almost assuring that one interpretation or another is likely to find its way onto the shelves of listeners. This EMI recording of Mahler's First Symphony with Carlo Maria Giulini was recorded in 1971 and originally released along with the Fourth Symphony. Sound quality, precision strings, impressively powerful brass, and warm, rich tone are all present, as would be expected. What distinguishes one CSO Mahler recording from another is of course the subtle differences in interpretation of the conductor. Giulini's reading of Mahler is a somewhat conservative one. This is not to say it is safe, lackluster, or unenergetic. But compared to more lively readings (such as Solti's, for example), Giulini is more subtle in the differences he makes to the countless tempo and character markings Mahler provides throughout the score; dynamic changes are also less grandiose. Individual listeners must decide for themselves which type of interpretation best suits their tastes, but they can almost universally be sure of a superior execution with the CSO.