the Leipzig players do [Chailly] proud. There are so many stunning solos, from tenor horn at the start to the first trumpet who never splits brilliant top notes in the finale, that names should have been given in the booklet…even in a field of remarkable performances - this of all symphonies requires a terrifying amount of preparation - there's none better than this one.

Developed and then fine-tuned in Leipzig over the last decade, Chailly.2 really does come with a different operating system. Briskly fired up, it fairly purrs through the data-heavy sections of Mahler’s Seventh...What really distinguishes Chailly’s Mahler nowadays (from his earlier self but also from most of the competition) is that he pushes through the music with the Italianate passion that Abbado chose to efface over the years.

Chailly seems to constantly remember that Mahler himself spoke about the ‘predominantly cheerful, humorous content’ of this Symphony. Taking great care over details and transparency, he also enables the marvellous Gewandhaus Orchestra to display the whole range of colours which make its sound so warm and full-blooded.