Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mahler is a difficult composer: brilliant, tortured, expansive, fussy... and it is easy to go to excess with him, Mahler himself having once stated that a symphony should include "everything." I grew up with the [now considered rather restrained] Bruno Walter recording, but auditioned and owned many other recordings over the years as well, also listening on the radio or TV when broadcast. I must say, this recording contains all the passion, lace-like delicacy, brute force, anger and triumph you'll ever need without resorting to excess. Yes, some avid Mahlerites will speak of this or that conductor's moments and I will agree that if you are passionate about this score, there may be instances here and there where you might wish for just a bit "more" but in so many other versions, that "more" also comes with down-sides, like making this work too episodic. Slatkin gives us all the "moments" as part of a well-conceived "whole" and that is what a symphony is, or should be... a journey consisting of moments, yes, but unified from a starting point to an inevitable finish.
Slatkin delivers as does his orchestra and chorus, from airy strings in the second movement to very distant horn and trumpet calls in the last... from awesome tam-tam smacks to the deep bell plates Mahler requires [NOT chimes!] it is all there, even the organ. Battle & Forrester are superb, the latter being in as good form as she was on the Walter recording I first heard back in 1960!
Then there is Telarc's engineering, and this SACD release FINALLY lets us hear everything they captured on the superior "Soundstream" 50k digital recording system. Such a pity the inferior Sony/Phillips 44.1k system won out. We've been missing so much for all these years. But now it is here, like you've never heard before AND at a 2-discs-for-one price no less!
If you like Mahler, add this one to your collection and you won't be disappointed at all. If you've heard Mahler on the radio and now want a recording at home, yes, this is the only one you'll need and you'll be missing nothing, music OR sound-wise.

This is one of those recordings that are so great that any comparison is meaningless. But I try anyway. Interpretation-wise Slatkin's account is very similar to Haitink, broardly paced and well crafted. At the same time Slatkin follows Bernstein's golden rule that in Mahler symphonies every climax should be executed in full force, and manages to beat even Bernstein by earth-shattering bang in each movement.

Saint Louis SO is a top-class orchestra which plays just like Chicago SO or any great orchestras in the world. Battle/Forrester combination is really ideal for this music, as their singing is deeply emotional yet very natural without operatic fuss. Forrester captures the rapt serenity of Urlicht very well.

Most amazing of all is the final apotheosis. I thought it was impossible to capture the sheer volume of overwhelming sound as real as in concert hall - often volume level drops suddenly in the existing great recordings (the worst one is Ormandy's RCA stereo recording in which engineers made mess of the otherwise greatest performance!) - but Telarc's engineers have done wonderful job to accommodate the gigantic dynamic-range. The sound is not only big, but astonishingly opulent, open and detailed. Even organ sounds so alive.

The only problem with this CD is that I can play it only when my neighbours are not at home. I set the volume 12 o'clock to experience the full force of the performance from the 1st movement, and then when the music reached the last climax in the last movement, it was so loud that I got complaint from my neighbours!

Across the great pond from the US Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are anything but household names; Slatkin is associated with some distinguished Vaughan Williams, but would not likely feature in a list of great Mahler conductors. Yet this recording proves he is one, and proves moreover that the St. Louis orchestra at its best, as it must have been when this was recorded, is as good as any in the world's top five. There is very much to admire and indeed love in this recording. The clear-sighted, unmannered approach, for one. The careful shaping and caressing of detail. The ubiquity of true pp and ppp, indications that feature far more often in this score than many conductors would have you believe. The warm and natural, gimmick-free recording, too. The marvellous singing all round, with Maureen Forrester giving us one of the most beautiful and pure Urlichts ever to be put on disc. I have only two gripes, and I'll get rid of them at once: generally underpowered trumpets; and an inexcusable and unnecessary disc break between movements III and IV that goes against Mahler's express instructions.

It took me some fiddling with the volume to get the right impact, for the recording level is quite low. But with the volume up details arise out of the mist, and a distortion free, wide dynamic spectrum is realised. The first movement is given a nuanced reading, with the climactic moments powerfully realised, but with a very special sense for the many passages of quiet magic, as at nr. 7, or the hushed `Zurückhalten" episode after 22. Even in the loud moments there is attention to crucial details. E.g., the well articulated string tremolos before 19 give clear harmonic contours to what often sounds as just a dissonant build-up. The famous col legno episode, by the way, comes through better than in any of the many other M2 recordings I know. Only at the very end was I a little disappointed; like so many of his colleagues Slatkin doesn't know what to make of the final triplets and hurries down in anything but his initial tempo. The anguished trumpet cry that should precede it is way too polite.

This is followed by an elegantly refined second movement, where Slatkin is that rare conductor who does not succumb to the temptation to have the cello cantilena after nr. 5 played much louder than Mahler asks. The Scherzo then bursts in with timpani strokes of considerable impact. Further on, do not expect the sardonic wit displayed by a Bernstein; indeed, I felt the approach lacked a little in humour, but again there is much in the tender and mysterious moments to compensate for it - if only those trumpets would have cut a little more through the textures in the final outburst.

From there on it is plain sailing. Urlicht is simply perfect, truly `schlicht', devoid of operatic excess. The Finale is awe-inspiring throughout. One feels Slatkin has kept something in reserve to concentrate the greatest power here - the outburst after nr. 26 is simply phenomenal. Percussion comes through splendidly. The Fernorchester episode at nr. 29 is perfect to a tee, with a good sense of distance and incredibly precise synchronisation. And then the choir comes in as hushed and quiet as you can imagine, in a true ppp. After that, the triangle at 34 may be too loud, but produces an apt altar-bell like effect. The build-up leads to a blazing final statement that is second to none. So many recordings of this symphony loose steam right at the end, including the highly overrated Klemperer - but not this one. The power only goes up and up, the sound resplendent with sonorous organ and excellent, deep bells. Like the Bernstein on DG, the final peroration isn't just awesome, it is actually moving. This may not be the most individual or monumental of Mahler Seconds, but it is one that does full justice to the score and is very easy to live with. I will return to it with pleasure, if only to cleanse my ears after more excessively emotional approaches.

During his tenure as director of the St. Louis Symphony, Slatkin turned the SLSO into, arguably, the best orchestra in the United States, and none of his recordings was better than Mahler's Symphony #2. The tempos are exquisite, the andantes are full of color and texture, while the allegros have the exuberant energy of Mahler's symphonies with the brass and percussion sections carrying the splendor of the occasion. The soloists are in unison with the orchestra, and the SLSO chorus never sounded better. I am aquainted with other versions of this symphony, but none is as satisfying. Do yourself a favor and select this recording above all others.

Worth buying and treasuring just for the amazing, disciplined playing and singing, coupled with gorgeous tones all around.

Slatkin's approach is, not unusual, straightforward, concentrating on the letter of the score. That does not to say that he doesn't mine the emotional content--he does. I prefer a more characterful approach--and Gielen's most recent recording certainly delivers that in spades, as does Scherchen's ancient MCA recording (which can not be said to have decent engineering or flawless playing)--but this performance serves quite nicely. It is in the same mold as Litton's in Dallas.

The recorded sound is fine, although a little more impace would've been appreciated.

Excellent all around.

I HAVE JUST PLAYED THE FIRST MOVEMENT. I HAVE GOOSEBUMPS, THRILLS AND CHILLS UP AND DOWN THE SPINE AND I TYPE THIS WITH TEARS IN MY EYES. AFTER 60 YEARS OF LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT PERFORMANCE I HAVE FINALY FOUND IT. IT DOES EXIST AND THIS IS IT. THFC

I have listened to this recording inumerable times and yet have not grown tired of it. The 1st movement is extremely powerful with the strong dynamic contrasts and the 4th is beautiful beyond belief (at least as beautiful as the Adagietto of Mahler 5). I highly recommend this recording to anyone: even those who do not like Mahler.

I agree with just about everything all the other reviewers have said. Unlike many collections of reviews on Amazon, it seems the commentators here are unanimous (all five stars) in ranking this as one of the finest (if not the finest) recordings of Mahler's Second. And perhaps the finest of Slatkin's recordings. I found it a bit odd that no one mentioned Kathleen Battle. It is quite true that Maureen Forrester is wonderful and at the top of her form here. Both of these soloists are splendid, solo and duo. But for me it is Battle who makes this reading of the Resurrection superb. Her tone is pure and vibrant, and her vocal control impeccable. Angelic and glorious, her voice is absolutely perfect for this work. I still have the vinyl recording of 1982, and I remember buying it because of her. This recording would still be excellent had Slatkin cast another great soprano, but with Kathleen Battle it is beyond fabulous.

As other reviewers note, this recording is now available in a superb SACD remastering. You will find the SACD at Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" [Hybrid SACD]. At its 2-for-1 discount price, the SACD is a tremendous bargain, so there's no reason to buy the CD version listed here.

As others have noted, I found the recording level to be low, but also the dynamic range to be quite high. Setting the volume to about 11 o'clock on my dial (NO other CD needs to be set past about 9:30) in order to hear the quiet passages, I get blasted by the louder passages. I don't agree with some others that Slatkin is plodding; I think he feels the music and conveys that feeling through the orchestra. But I don't think he's any better in this regard than my unsung favorite for the whole Mahler cycle, viz., the Gary Bertini full set on the EMI label. Here, I found the vocal parts by Forrester and Battle to be superior to any other I've heard. They save the disc as far as I'm concerned.

One other downside is that the last movement, which is very long and contains a number of themes, is not broken up into several tracks as it is on the Bertini-EMI set.

Bottom line: the artists are good to excellent; the engineers/mixers/editors get a C-.