Review: Tennstedt's Hot and Cold Mahler on Warner

This box features Klaus Tennstedt's complete Mahler recordings for Warner Classics, including live versions of Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7, plus Das Lied von der Erde. Few conductors were more inspirational than Tennstedt when he was "on," but this cycle reveals him only fitfully at his very best--say about 38.63% of the time. Still, the great moments are amazing, and for many listeners that 38.63% will be enough to justify hearing these performances.