This is a controversial perfomance. Pierre Boulez made his reputation as a conductor famous for his analytical, antiromantic approach, but in later years he seems to have mellowed. Not here, though. In many ways, the Seventh is Mahler's most modern symphony. The emotional impact of the music is less important than texture, orchestration, and musical architecture. In short, it's a highly abstract piece, and that's exactly how Boulez treats it. That means a relatively slow tempo in the first movement to achieve maximum clarity, and quick speeds in the two "night music" movements, minimizing their mysterious and romantic qualities, respectively. It's not an approach that everyone will warm to, but because classical-record collecting means having more than one version of the same music, it's always rewarding to sample different interpretations--provided that they're expressed with maximum conviction. And about this last point, there's no doubt at all. --David Hurwitz