★★★☆☆ 1/2 Dudamel is refined and subdued overall, but the finale is thrilling

Mahler: Symphony No. 7

I've been a fan of Dudamel's Mahler in the past; both his 5th with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra and his 9th with the Los Angeles Philharmonic were telling successes.  Although the "youth" part of his Venezuelan orchestra has been dropped, it's been a joy to see the level of talent Dudamel has encouraged.  A few years ago, it might have seemed a stretch to imagine the orchestra being prepared to tackle the massive Mahler 7th, but now they are fully up to the challenge.  In fact, by now it's a bit outdated to view them on a separate scale than the world's best orchestras.  They play with astonishing virtuosity.

But has the increased level of playing threatened to take away the orchestra's exuberance?  Opening the symphony, Dudamel is a little deliberate, stressing lyricism and focused lines.  Sonics are great, and climaxes ring with impact. Dudamel is more inward than spontaneous, and his flow is gentle and natural.  In a blatantly elusive symphony, however, is it wise to aim for a seamless feel?  The absence of jagged edges threatens to remove some of the originality.

This subdued mood carries over into the 2nd movement where Dudamel is low on spookiness, relying instead on gentle refinement.  The orchestral playing is vibrant and the cowbells sound impeccable.  It's beautiful, but since the drama is downplayed, it can start to seem sluggish.  It's strangely emotionally aloof for Dudamel, a conductor I associate with excitement and freshness.

The pace quickens a bit in the Scherzo, but Dudamel sounds ordinary. The racing surges of sound go down with élan but almost no terror. This orchestra is usually masterful at producing raw sounds, but here the refinement from Dudamel is counterproductive. Where's any hint of savagery?  The orchestral playing is brilliant, but Mariss Jansons with the Bavarian Radio Symphony is much more atmospheric, not to mention the galvanic force of Valery Gergiev with the LSO.

With the 4th movement, we're back into the world of nocturnal ambiguity, with less outright hints of fear than than in the Scherzo. Mahler made his 7th Symphony problematic for interpreters by writing a large dosage of material that is shadowy and slowish. It's riveting when performed with the right element of suspense, but here Dudamel continues to sound too regular.  The playing is lovely and balanced with care, but is this supposed to be an everyday slow movement? An overriding feel of sameness is hard to shake off.

It's telling how much Dudamel's Simon Bolivar Orchestra has improved over the years, and listening to the opening of the finale, the brass are in top form, and fully ready to be judged by the strictest international standards.  But I can't help but remember Dudamel's dashing version of the finale of Mahler's 5th with the same orchestra, where all caution was cast to the wind in a ride of sheer thrill.  Here, as much as I admire the orchestra, I wonder if some of the vigor is missing—it comes close, though.  In fairness to Dudamel, he finds more energy than in the inner movements, and after all, it's a challenge to simply make sense of the score's tossing and turning.  Dudamel does, and for me, this movement is the highlight of the performance.  Passion comes through, and the energy is searing.

In closing, after admiring all of Dudamel's past Mahler outings, this one comes as a disappointment overall.  Dudamel has been cited as the Bernstein of his generation, but in the Mahler 7th, Bernstein showed considerably more passion.  As perfect-sounding as this reading is, it lacks the mystery that makes this symphony special.  Dudamel wakes up for an invigorating finale, but four movements too late.