Mahler 4 Gatti

A unique collector's edition is a "climbing on the history of music" for 20 centuries from ancient times (Greece) to the present day. "History of Music", the 20-disc collection. Starting with the ancient music, music of the Middle Ages continued, Renaissance and Baroque music and ending the era of romanticism and modernity.

The Japanese company, BMG Japan, sorted the original RCA RED SEAL CDs according to the composers and the year when the music pieces were created. BEST100 series are the best representative CDs, which were carefully chosen from those music pieces by acting and recording, and they were released again with the mark of RCA BEST100. These CDs are the most impressive records in the classical field at RCA’s best. Theoretically, we could find the single originals of those CDs, but BMG Japan reorganised excellently for everyone. During BMG Japan period, it was released for the first time in 1999 and for the second time in 2008 after SONY took over BMG. BEST100 series belong to the latter.

For a work in C major, the initial theme of the first Op. 60 quintet is especially haunting and strange. As it turns out the source of this tune is a lullaby from Madrid. In the hands of this old master, though, who faced poverty and poor health by the time of these works (circa 1801), the lullaby feels like a funeral dirge (anticipating Mahler's first symphony by 87 years). The entire first movement feels very agitated, which was off putting the first few times I listened to this CD, but it has since grown on me. This is not the flowery Boccherini of early years, instead we find the music of an increasingly broken man.