Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection")

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It has become predictable that Boulez is attacked from some quarters, but I have a question -- if you already know that you don't like Boulez's approach, why listen? If you are one of those who hates Boulez, then just stay away. I, for one, hope to hear Boulez conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler's 7th this fall. This review is for those who are more open-minded.

This is a lush, beautiful rendering of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, revealing detail and texture, and building to a cooler climax than you might expect if you have heard the more passionate performances of Bernstein and others. None of this will come as a surprise to those familiar with Boulez. One reviewer has described this recording as "barnstorming" -- utter nonsense. I do still prefer the classic 1962 Klemperer and 1975 Mehta, the latter also with Vienna -- they are indeed more passionate than Boulez. But some of us enjoy more than one approach to a great symphony. Solti's operatic approach to Mahler's 8th, for instance, is radically different from Gielen's cooler approach that emphasizes texture, an approach more like Boulez here with the 2nd. I find both to be valid, and I enjoy being able to hear them as alternatives, rather than seeing/hearing one as right and the other wrong. (Of course, there are works that I have definite views on, such as the finale of Shostakovich's 5th, which should be slow, and the central fast movements of Shostakovich's 8th, which should be fast!)

If you know that you prefer Mahler set at maximum passion and intensity, then I would not recommend this recording. But if you are open to other interpretations, and if you appreciate the finest precision in conducting and musicianship, then by all means, you should hear Boulez's 2nd!

Boulez is nearing the completion of his Mahler cycle, and this Second displays all the features we have come to expect from earlier instalments: tremendous textural clarity, and a precision that some may find surgical, but that guarantees you will hear many things that went unnoticed before. Yet there is nothing academic or cool about the performance, and though in places it sounds surprisingly different from the (many) other versions I know, it is never deliberately revisionist. More often than not, what we hear is simply the result of faithfulness to the score. E.g., just before number 23 in the first movement, most recordings focus on the lovely line in the cor anglais; but it is the flute who has the main melody, marked "hervortretend", and Boulez gets the balance exactly right. Rhytmically, this version is as taut as any you will ever hear; in passages like the rush of demi-semiquavers before 44 in the Scherzo every note is articulated. Which is, of course, first and foremost a tribute to the magnificent VPO, possibly the best orchestra in the world. As in Boulez's impressive recording of the Third, the presence of trombone and tuba pedal notes is spectacular and lends a dark, raw edge to the music that is very appropriate. All through the symphony there are many moments of heartstopping beauty and delightful surprise; nonetheless, the overall impression is one of stern majesty (think Haitink) rather than romantic indulgence (think Bernstein).
Some listeners will no doubt take issue with the very brisk tempos of the second and third movements. I wasn't quite convinced that the Scherzo, especially, fits Mahler's description "ruhig fliessend" or follows up on his admonishment "nicht eilen". It is the same problem encountered in "Der Einsame im Herbst" from Boulez's otherwise thoroughly perfect "Das Lied von der Erde". Furthermore, though Michelle DeYoung's singing can hardly be faulted, I did not feel that her creamy voice with its strong vibrato was the right choice for "Urlicht", or for this particular recording. Petra Lang's performance for Chailly remains an unchallenged touchstone there.
The finale is marvellously executed almost throughout, combining a sense of purpose with sheer visceral impact, and culminating in the tremendous repetition of the opening measures just before the "Grosze Appel". The interchanges of the distant horns and trumpets, too, are done to a tee. After that, unfortunately, some of the momentum is lost. The chorus sing beautifully, but seem a bit lacking in bite, and are balanced just a tad too distantly. Then, at figure 48, the final peroration sounds somewhat clipped, and the organ is hardly audible. The final, orchestral bars, too, had me wishing for a more present organ, more assertive bells, and simply more decibels. In the end, this symphony is one giant crescendo that culminates here, and having heard the blazes unleashed by say, Bernstein (DG) or Kaplan (IMP), I find Boulez does not quite deliver the goods. Though that is disappointing, overall this is a highly distinguished performance by a formidable orchestra, full of revealing insights, and spectacularly recorded. No true Mahler fan should miss it.

This is the penultimate release in Boulez's Mahler series (the Eighth will be issued next year). It has been a fine cycle, though some releases have not been comparable with the competition - but this is one of the best ones. The performance is complete on a single CD, timing about 80'30 minutes.

While listening I've compared this to Kaplan's fine recording of the same work, with the same orchestra in the same hall - and on the same label. But the interpretations are really different, especially in I-III. Kaplan's interpretation is fairly `straight' though with lots of imaginative touches. I like it a lot, and it is spectacularly recorded - perhaps a little more expansively than Boulez's. I've listened to Kaplan on SACD but it sounds superb via the CD layer, even in the car.

Boulez's VPO sounds a little closer to the microphones here, with the added benefit of more detail and increased impact, especially in the bass. But Kaplan's soundstage sounds slightly wider. In brief - they are both excellent sonically.

In the opening movement Boulez is very direct and dynamic with some crunching orchestral chords, with lower strings and brass cutting through the texture. There's not much interventionist `interpretation' here, unlike Tilson Thomas's reading on Avie, or even Kaplan, who sounds less controlled than Boulez. But this performance sounds powerful with real edge-of-seat playing.

In the second movement there's more bringing out of the cello line in the long winding melody near the start. This sounds great, and again, it's original.

Tempo-wise Boulez starts off the work just on the fast side of normal, and little by little speeds up - which means that by the time he hits the closing pages of the third movement, he's going at a fair clip. That movement comes in at 9'27, about a minute faster than most. I really like this effect, though some might feel it a little hasty (some parts zoom past almost sounding like sections of Waldteufel's `Skater's Waltz'). But I think a fast tempo works well here - and it's certainly different in this era of cookie-cutter Mahler 2s.

Things settle down a little for `Urlicht', which is superbly done, with the mature and serene singing of Michelle de Young sounding suitably sombre, with a slight beat in her voice adding a hint of sadness.

The finale is also well done, in fact this is perhaps the highlight of the performance, with Boulez's masterly control of the ebb and flow. This has to be one of the most convincing accounts ever recorded with even some of the more vulgar march passages coming off better than any other version I've heard. It held my attention more than Kaplan's I think. Here also the superb recording comes into its own, with a wonderful sense of depth to the sound with chorus ideally 'placed' in the sonic picture. Timpani are also ideally focused and the lower strings and brass add real weight. Perhaps the organ is a little recessed but that's a minor quibble for me.

Christine Schafer and Michelle de Young are first rate soloists, with the former's slight portamenti, for example on her opening statement, giving moments of real beauty. The choral singing is generally first rate as well, though on occasions (e.g. the sforzato entry at 30'13) the chorus can't quite match the attack of Abbado's Lucerne singers (also on DG) - though overall I find Boulez's interpretation more convincing than Abbado's live account.

If you're collecting Boulez's Mahler series than you can add this without hesitation - I've owned or heard most of them, and would place this as one of the best, perhaps alongside the imposing Cleveland Seventh (with its fast second Nachtmusik) and above the Fourth and Sixth, but slightly below the Third, which really is a plausible first recommendation for the work, certainly among digital sets. This Second is certainly much better than Boulez's rather cerebral accounts of the First, Fifth and Ninth, none of which challenge the very best in my view.

Confirmed Mahlerians generally should consider this performance as a supplement to their favourite accounts, as it offers a unique interpretation, superbly played and recorded. On a single disc it really is an easy choice.

If you're an SACD collector you've a great choice between MTT's idiosyncratic but powerful San Francisco version on Avie and the equally electrifing (if rather straighter) Kaplan on DG - but more enterprising souls shouldn't overlook Ozawa's great Sony version recorded live with the Saito Kainen Orchestra. That's available only in Japan though.

If you're a newcome to the `Resurrection' don't hesitate in picking this up either, but with so many other excellent accounts out there maybe I would place a few others alongside it. Chailly here is a little disappointing bearing in mind the excellence of the rest of his Decca cycle (especially the 4, 5 and 6). Kaplan, Ozawa (Sony), Gielen (Hanssler) and maybe Litton (Delos) should be considered among digital accounts, with the older Klemperer (the live Bavarian one on EMI rather than the classic Philharmonia version on the same label) a great mid-price recommendation on a single disc.

Listening to this pristine new contender to Mahler 2 recordings by Boulez, I immediately was recalling my very first electrifying encounter with Mahler in the late 1960s by Bruno Walter's 1957/1958 NYP performance on CBS Records . Although I grew up with Walter's, Klemperer's, Bernstein's, Kubelik's and Solti's visions of Mahler, I am strongly sympathizing with Boulez' refusal to engage with the music's theatricality. The result is a very plain and simple (German: schlicht), almost chamber music-like, yet majestic, utterly convincing performance. No kitsch or pathos here - Boulez shows, that the music simply does not need that - instead he underlines the violence of the writing in the 1st and 5th movements with the help of excellent, quite appropriately coarse playing brass section and percussion of visceral impact and delivers wonderfully flowing 2nd and 3rd movements. In the final part of movement 5 the organ is woven into the music's texture rather than emphasized, which I think is not a result of a generally weak instrument at the Musikverein Saal but deliberately done so by Boulez and perfectly fits into his anti-theatrical approach. VPO's , soloist's and chorus' obvious affinity to Boulez' concept leads the entire team to let every single note come with ease - flawless playing and singing, remarkably beautiful so Christine Schaefer's account in the 5th movement. I can't remember having heard a more moving and faithful "Oh glaube, Du wardst nicht umsonst geboren.." in any recording. Michelle DeYoung in "Urlicht" is very convincing, too, although I think less vibrato and improved diction would have served the music better.

The overall impression of this recording is that Boulez - unlike many other conductors - does not feel the need to explain Mahler's work. Instead, his self-effacing approach reveals the architecture of the score and lets the music powerfully speak for itself. The result, however, while firmly rooted in an aura of romanticism, express aspects of Mahler's work that are far beyond such an easy explanation, arising from a part of the human spirit that is beyond personality.

Pierre Boulez has always gone his own way in Mahler, consistently veering away from expressing conflict, anguish, and emotional extremes. To achieve his cooler view, he must ignore much of what Mahler says in the socre--for example, in the opening of the first movement in this new Second Sym., the double basses aren't savage in attack, and the rhythm isn't improvisatory. Everything is moderate in attack and tempo.

The only real news is that Boulez has loosened his grip quite a lot; this is a warm, almost gentle traversal most of the time. You'll notice that the second movement breezes by--it's quick-flowing and untroubled. The satirical Scherzo is taken from a song about St. Anthony preaching to some mermerized open-mouthed fish, but here the sermon has no bite; all is serene and again quick-flowing.

In the moving "Urlicht", which is usually a fervent hymn, Michele De Young sounds appropriately rich-voiced, but her big, plummy vibrato obscures the words. Interestingly, Boulez takes this movement rather slowly. The apocalyptic finale was the closest Mahler ever came to expressing Christian fervor, and most conductors give us a turbulent cosmos of brass and perxussion before the calming choir enters to settle the osul. Incredibly well as the brass section of the Vienna Phil. play, they are fairly restrained. It's here, however, that you notice how perfectly the orchestra has been captured by DG's engineers--one great advantage Boulez's set has over its rivals.

In concert Boulez does his best to be the anti-Bernstein in the climactic resurrection hymn, purposefully loosening the tension instead of building it, and downplaying religious exultation. I seriously doubt that Mahler had this in mind, but there's a lot happening that is Boulez's own invention. If you happen to be in synch with him, this new set might rate five stars; for me, it balances on the edge of deserving three.

I've decided to edit my original review; not because I've changed my mind about it, but because I want to simplify what I wrote before.

Pros: the vocals are excellent and the playing of the Vienna Phil. is quite impressive throughout.

Cons: There are two; the biggest being that there's almost zero organ in the closing pages of the symphony. Right where the chorus loudly sings "aufverstehen" in unison (rise up), Mahler asks for the pipe organ to be fortissimo, along with the words "volles werke" (all stops out). There's nothing even remotely close to Mahler's speficiations at work here. My second con is that the scherzo - the third movement - is so quick that there's little if any sense of humor or irony about it. While Mahler doesn't give a metronome marking, it's my belief that the scherzo should go at a tempo that's close to how the very same music gets performed in its original "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" context: "St. Anthony's Sermon To The Fishes". This is usually taken slower, and with a great sense of irony. Now, let's start from the top.

Boulez's new "Resurrection" comes across to me as two-part concept, with the first three movements making for a faster than normal Part 1 (and hence, sort of a prelude to the rest), and with the last two movements being a slightly slower than normal Part 2. As I recall, Boulez takes less than 21 minutes on the first movement. Yet, I don't feel any great sense of urgency (Klemperer) as the tempi are somewhat evened out across the movement. As a result, the movmement's concluding funeral procession flows along much quicker than normal. That might have worked for me, if the the first movement's central climax had simply been more powerful. But once again, one gets the feeling of a Boulez who's just kind of skating along.

Boulez's second movement has taken some heat for lacking "Vienesse" charm and grace (gemutlichkeit). But here, I'm in his court as I feel that this is one of Mahler's weakest movements from a purely intellectual standpoint. I'm also just in a hurry to get to one of the greatest passages in the entire symphony - the one with the pizzicato strings, harp, and piccolo. For me, charm and grace does not have to be on the slow side. That leaves the last two movements (I already trashed his scherzo).

Urlicht is beatifully done. I do get the impression that Michelle De Young might have asked to go a bit slower. Regardless, she delivers the goods. What's surprising to me is that Boulez takes the slow, soft passages of the fifth movement - indeed! - slowly. Who would have guessed? I really don't care for that, but why fuss when the VPO brass section pumps out such massive and rich sonorities during the louder bits. The trombones, in particular, really impress. It's such a pity that after all this, the wind gets knocked out of one's expectations when we reach, "aufverstehen". I'm at a loss to understand why DG or Boulez would settle for such a measly representation of Mahler's pipe organ dreams. Couldn't they have dubbed in something decent, as they did on the Kaplan/VPO M2? The rest of it goes very well, including the alternating salvos between the deep bells (three of them), and the high and low pitched tam-tams (large orchestral gongs). There's just no organ to speak of.

So here you have it: a mixed bag - one which is oddly proportioned; perhaps due to efforts to get the thing to fit on one disc. It also just lacks the weight and grandeur that a big pipe organ lends to the concluding choral passages. If it's the VPO you must have, stick to the classic Zubin Mehta one on Decca, or get the recent Gilbert Kaplan one on an SACD/CD hybrid disc.

Pierre Boulez is a model of clarity and scholarly approach to musical scores and has been responsible for uncovering phrases and notes and tempi markings in old warhorses as well as bringing sparkling life to more contemporary works. He has his admirers and detractors: those who breathe with him on his examinations of the inner aspects of scores find exhilaration in the clarity he achieves; others feel he extracts all of the passion from works by holding back on his climaxes and finales. There is no right opinion here - thank goodness that is what each listener's ear is all about: respect.

It is therefore understandable that opinions of his Mahler Second are so disparate. And on many of the criticisms there is much agreement. Oddly, this recording is Grammy nominated for 'Engineering' award this year when the engineering seems to be the one aspect everyone agrees on - the organ placement in the final sound, the chorus integration with the orchestral playing and the soloist separation seem simply faulty.

But as for the performance itself, the sound Boulez draws form the Vienna Philharmonic and Singverein are warm and secure. His choices of tempi for this listener are right and his selection of soloists is excellent. Michelle DeYoung is a true Mahlerite and sings with understanding of the text and a big lush tone and Christine Schaefer balances this timbre with her clarion soprano. If only the solo voices could be heard during the choral portions.....

But in the end, who can own enough versions of Mahler's great Resurrection symphony? There are thankfully many available now that should please the growing crowd of Mahler devotees. For this listener this recording (despite disagreement with the 'laudable engineering') deserves a firm position in that special area of the library. Grady Harp, December 06

This new recording of Mahler's 2nd is among the best of its kind. I have been listening to various recordings of this symphony, 22 total, and compared it with my favorites. (I usually tend to go with the Italian conductors, for their understanding of Mahler's Verdi insight.) Mahler apparently hated whoever conducted his symphonies too slow, and hearing the accurate tempo of Boulez makes one imagines how much Mahler would have liked this fresh interpretation. It is an up-dated recording and it is, more important, a brand new reading. The nuances are deftly applied and the whole sounds at the end, as an enormous journey, where every step was carefully taken and every view greatly appreciated.

I was looking forward to this disc for a long time and was very curious how Pierre Boulez would approach this great and large symphony, one of my favorites among the Mahler 9. Its been well worth the wait. I am nothing but impressed with this performance. There is great beauty and restraint in this recording and extraordinary tension. The quiet moments that make you hold your breath make the empassioned outbursts even more dramatic in this recording. Boulez, as he has so often before, brings out a great many details in the score. There is also moments of pure tenderness in this performance, not overdone or un-Mahler like but simply beautiful. The only other recording that ranks with this performance in my opinion is Simon Rattles Birmingham recording and given the radically different approaches by the two conductors it is a testament to the power of this symphony. If you are looking for just one to own though I would reccomend this recording first just for the shear power of the recording... the recorded sound is amazing as with the other recordings in the Boulez Mahler cycle. Most definately worth 5 stars. Not the only one to own, but why own just one? Now we only have to wait for the Mahler 8th from Boulez.

I discovered classical music through the Darmstadt generation and came to Mahler relatively late, working my way back through the Second Viennese School and Sibelius to arrive at this highly influential Late Romantic composer. But when it came to which of Mahler's ten symphonies to hear first, the Symphony No. 2 was an easy choice, as I had enjoyed Luciano Berio's lengthy quotation of the Mahler Second's third movement in the Italian composer's "Sinfonia".

The Second opens with a funeral march, so typical of this grim composer. Things get a bit sunnier in the second movement, and the third movement has an immense variety for all its cohensiveness. It's remarkable how Mahler seamlessly proceeds from what was originally a litty ditty about St Anthony preaching to fishes to an apocalyptic explosion. After three movements of orchestral expanse, the entrance of voice might come as a surprise to the neophyte. First a contralto sings in the fourth movement, titled "Urlicht".

But that is only a prelude to the enormous fifth movement, which clocks in at 35 minutes. That Mahler can write these expansive finales, longer on their own than the entire symphonies of many other composers, without making me glance at my watch is what really makes him great in my view. There is little music that is so vast in form yet so free from filler. And as a lover of Berio's "Sinfonia", I love the the way the fifth movement opens with references to the the previous movements. The climax of this movement, as solo soprano floats over a choir, has a freshness about it.

Around the same time he recorded this CD for Deutsche Grammophon, Boulez also led the Staatskapelle Berlin in a performance for French television, available on a EuroArts DVD. But I'm just pointing that out. To be honest, as much as I appreciate Mahler's art, he doesn't rank among my favourite composers (I love weird modernism too much) and I'm not especially motivated to compare different recordings and make judgements of which is best.