CLASSICAL: RECORD REVIEWS

Mahler Symphony No 1

Houston Symphony, Eschenbach

(Koch International)

Mahler initially subtitled his First "Titan", which aptly sums up this score for large orchestral forces. Eschenbach's grasp of the atmospheres of the highly contrasting movements is fine, and a greater architectonic drive is matched by some immaculate attention to detail and phrasing. But this live recording often sounds woefully distant, with irritating levels of audience noise. HH

Messiaen Turangalila Symphony

Philharmonic, Tortelier

(Chandos)

Distilling the essence of Messiaen's 10-movement Turangalila while maintaining structural cogency is far from easy, but Yan Pascal Tortelier succeeds at the helm of a superbly drilled BBC Philharmonic. A colourful and clear account rounded off by sterling work from soloists Howard Shelley and Valerie Hartmann-Claverie. HHHH