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Claudio Abbado recorded Mahler's Seventh Symphony with the Chicago Symphony in 1984 -- a remarkably coherent and brilliantly executed performance of the composer's trickiest score. This 2001 concert recording is similarly lucid, yet with a sense of restlessness that seems more attuned the music's nocturnal character. Abbado's tempos aren't particularly fast -- except in the central scherzo, which really whizzes by -- yet he frequently pushes through the rests, compressing the rhythms to breathless effect. Another advantage to the newer recording is the dark tone of the Berlin Philharmonic, particularly in the two mysterious "Nachtmusik" movements. The sound quality is not as clear and bright as the earlier version, but it is reasonably vivid and conveys sufficient power. The performance fits onto one disc (78 minutes' worth), and Donald Mitchell's compact overview of the symphony's background and structure is a nice bonus. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble