--- product_id: 39921330 title: "Mahler: Symphony No. 6 \"Tragic\"" price: "£42.96" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/39921330-mahler-symphony-no-6-tragic store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic" **Price:** £42.96 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic" - **How much does it cost?** £42.96 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/39921330-mahler-symphony-no-6-tragic) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Review: One of the best - I currently have ten different recordings of this symphony. It has been my favorite Mahler symphony since I first heard a magnificent live BBC performance by Norman Del Mar at Royal Albert Hall in 1962. I also have the original Zander performance with the Boston Philharmonic, and considering the semi-professional status of the performers, that performance remains electrifying, and a benchmark in my opinion. Like this studio recording, the hammer blows are shattering. I've also heard several live performances in person. For many years now, I've had a real feel for this symphony, almost instinctively knowing how it should sound, especially the first movement. In this recording, Zander comes close to perfection in the first movement, although some of his tempos in the middle sections of the first movement seem just a tad bit slow, and it lacks a certain lightness of touch I believe should be there in the Alma theme. But the coda is as thrilling as any performance I've ever heard, with the fast tempo being just right. The best performance of the first movement I have on disk is a little known recording by Evgeni Svetlanov and the USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra. I remember the review appearing in American Record Guide, where the reviewer wondered what a Russian was doing turning out one of the best performances of the Mahler 6th ever recorded. I'm not going to say anything more about this latest Zander performance, but would like to make a couple comments on the recording and Zander's opinion on the merits of the revised last movement. Unlike a previous reviewer who thought he heard several flaws in this recording, I have only one complaint about it. There seems to be a peculiar turning down of the sound level of the orchestra just before the first hammer blow, in both the original and the revised versions, which Zander blesses us with on the second disk. The orchestral volume level is magically back to "normal" just after the hammer blow. Perhaps this gradual lowering of the volume was done to achieve a more dramatic contrast when the hammer does finally hit, or perhaps there was a fear of overmodulating the disk. But this latter explanation doesn't fly, because on the third disk, when Zander demonstrates this part, there IS no lowering of the volume and it sounds much more dramatic. Anyhow, maybe I'm hearing things, but I listened to this three times in both versions, and my sense that the volume is being turned down just before the hammer strikes just won't go away. Note that this lowering of the orchestral level (which is at fortissimo at the time) only occurs just before the FIRST hammer blow. Then, as for Zander's opinion that Mahler was "correct" in his first version and compromised in the removal of the third hammer blow and thinning of the orchestration in the revised version, I personally am not so sure. Maybe it's because I've rarely heard the original version, but I think I like the cleaner textures of the revised version. I'm going to go along with Mahler's final thoughts on this one, at least until I get to know the original version better. It's interesting that Zander's timing of the two versions differs by only one second. Review: Wonderful performance and commentary - I've been playing this recording all afternoon (well, it almost needs almost an afternoon..). In any event, this is a glorious CD - a 'must' IMHO for every Mahler library. I'm not as worried as many about the order of the Scherzo and the Andante movements, but I think I agree with the Mahler Society and Zander in the original ordering of the movements. The Sixth is near the top of my favorite Mahler symphonies. I never warmed to MTT performance of the work (I've hear him both 'live' and on CD), and I suppose Bernstein's second recording on DG is my touchstone for the work, but Zander is now occupying that same rarified air for me. His opening is omnious and unsettling; the Andante is simply gorgeous, but I am still conflicted over the 2 or 3 hammer blows. The original 3 hammer blows is powerful, but I think the revised movement with only two moves more inexorably to its conclusion, but I am glad Zander included both. And finally his lecture - Telarc has done us all a favor by including his comments on Mahler's symphonies. They harken back to the days of Bernstein's lectures. I think, however, Zander is a bit more objective and presents his arguments cogently and in a less emotional format. In any event, his comments on the Sixth and worth listening to several times. This recording is a winner for me! ## Images ![Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic" - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8100Pjm-frL.jpg) ![Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic" - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91zwP+EyyjL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best *by F***S on September 24, 2002* I currently have ten different recordings of this symphony. It has been my favorite Mahler symphony since I first heard a magnificent live BBC performance by Norman Del Mar at Royal Albert Hall in 1962. I also have the original Zander performance with the Boston Philharmonic, and considering the semi-professional status of the performers, that performance remains electrifying, and a benchmark in my opinion. Like this studio recording, the hammer blows are shattering. I've also heard several live performances in person. For many years now, I've had a real feel for this symphony, almost instinctively knowing how it should sound, especially the first movement. In this recording, Zander comes close to perfection in the first movement, although some of his tempos in the middle sections of the first movement seem just a tad bit slow, and it lacks a certain lightness of touch I believe should be there in the Alma theme. But the coda is as thrilling as any performance I've ever heard, with the fast tempo being just right. The best performance of the first movement I have on disk is a little known recording by Evgeni Svetlanov and the USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra. I remember the review appearing in American Record Guide, where the reviewer wondered what a Russian was doing turning out one of the best performances of the Mahler 6th ever recorded. I'm not going to say anything more about this latest Zander performance, but would like to make a couple comments on the recording and Zander's opinion on the merits of the revised last movement. Unlike a previous reviewer who thought he heard several flaws in this recording, I have only one complaint about it. There seems to be a peculiar turning down of the sound level of the orchestra just before the first hammer blow, in both the original and the revised versions, which Zander blesses us with on the second disk. The orchestral volume level is magically back to "normal" just after the hammer blow. Perhaps this gradual lowering of the volume was done to achieve a more dramatic contrast when the hammer does finally hit, or perhaps there was a fear of overmodulating the disk. But this latter explanation doesn't fly, because on the third disk, when Zander demonstrates this part, there IS no lowering of the volume and it sounds much more dramatic. Anyhow, maybe I'm hearing things, but I listened to this three times in both versions, and my sense that the volume is being turned down just before the hammer strikes just won't go away. Note that this lowering of the orchestral level (which is at fortissimo at the time) only occurs just before the FIRST hammer blow. Then, as for Zander's opinion that Mahler was "correct" in his first version and compromised in the removal of the third hammer blow and thinning of the orchestration in the revised version, I personally am not so sure. Maybe it's because I've rarely heard the original version, but I think I like the cleaner textures of the revised version. I'm going to go along with Mahler's final thoughts on this one, at least until I get to know the original version better. It's interesting that Zander's timing of the two versions differs by only one second. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful performance and commentary *by T***N on April 12, 2012* I've been playing this recording all afternoon (well, it almost needs almost an afternoon..). In any event, this is a glorious CD - a 'must' IMHO for every Mahler library. I'm not as worried as many about the order of the Scherzo and the Andante movements, but I think I agree with the Mahler Society and Zander in the original ordering of the movements. The Sixth is near the top of my favorite Mahler symphonies. I never warmed to MTT performance of the work (I've hear him both 'live' and on CD), and I suppose Bernstein's second recording on DG is my touchstone for the work, but Zander is now occupying that same rarified air for me. His opening is omnious and unsettling; the Andante is simply gorgeous, but I am still conflicted over the 2 or 3 hammer blows. The original 3 hammer blows is powerful, but I think the revised movement with only two moves more inexorably to its conclusion, but I am glad Zander included both. And finally his lecture - Telarc has done us all a favor by including his comments on Mahler's symphonies. They harken back to the days of Bernstein's lectures. I think, however, Zander is a bit more objective and presents his arguments cogently and in a less emotional format. In any event, his comments on the Sixth and worth listening to several times. This recording is a winner for me! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Explanations Are Welcomed *by R***N on September 14, 2017* A very good performance. My only comment is why don't more deservedly eminent conductors follow Zander's lead and include am additional disc with their CD releases describing their methods and commenting on the work the listener has just heard. Barenboim rleases three complete cycles of Bruckner, but there's no such "discussion CD" with any of the three. In fact, the only other cycle I've acquired that includes such a CD is Tintner's Bruckner cycle on Naxos, which is immensely interesting, especially when Tintner plays musical examples from symphony 7 on that CD which illuminate his feeling for and approach to Bruckner--and, IMHO, why his Bruckner cycle, recorded when he was in his late 70s, is competitive, again IMHO, with Barenboim's, as well as Jochum's and Wand's. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/39921330-mahler-symphony-no-6-tragic](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/39921330-mahler-symphony-no-6-tragic) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-10*