Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No.2/ Schmidt: Symphony No.4

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For those interested in a superb recording of Mahler's Second Symphony, you need look no further than right here. This performance won my vote years ago when it appeared on LP, and the digital transfer to CD is just as appealing. Mehta and the VPO negotiate this emotional roller coaster in a way few have been able to match, and the finale is truly something to behold. Nicely coupled with a less familiar but intriguing work by Schmidt. Kudos all the way around!

Mehta has had a lot of bad press over his ability as a conductor but in this instance he silences all his critics. From the beginning he engages with the music and brings out the architectonic qualities of the piece. Christa Ludwig in 'Ulricht' is very moving. The opening notes must rank as some of the most calmly profound in all 19th century music. This symphony stands on the turn of the century. Rattle (EMI) shows Mahler looking into the 20th century but Mehta's performance can be seen also as a summing up of the 19th. Paying homage to Beethoven and Wagner but also anticpating Strauss and Schoenberg. And for the money it is a great bargain.

The quality of the music-making here, especially the glorious Schmidt, is first-rate. What is really surprising, though, is the recorded sound of the Mahler. While the last few pages of the Symphony in most recordings overload, lose detail, or close in around the listener, the sound in this one maintains clarity, force, and focus until the end. On headphones it seems as though the hall opens out farther with each increase in dynamics to create a breathtaking panorama. It is an extraordinary sonic experience!

Zubin Metha made this recording of Franz Schmidt's fourth symphony - which is his masterpiece - in 1971, at a time when Schmidt was more or less forgotten. To some extent, he's still a pretty much unknown late romantic composer, even if Franz Welser-Möst recently has tried hard to prepare for his revival. It is also Welser-Möst's 1994 recording, now available as a bargain EMI disc, that is the primary rival to Metha's. Welser-Möst's recording is very fine and cheap, but Metha's is clearly the one to have. Here are the reasons.

First, this recording was made with Vienna Philharmonic during the successful time Metha had with this stunning orchestra in the early seventies. A few years later (1975), he made his famous recording of Mahler's second symphony with the same orchestra, which is its coupling in this twofer. (The latter is however also available as a single CD, in the Decca legend series.)

Second, Metha's recording is a classic, which provides us with a sense of discovery. The orchestra covers new ground, and they play this tragic, solemn masterpiece with great enthusiasm and sober passion.

Third, the recording quality is exceptional for its age. It is as good as on the later Mahler recording. I prefer its refined, warm, and detailed analogue sound to Welser-Möst's all-digital recording, which is a bit chilly. But its fine sound may of course also depend on the excellent acoustics of the Sofiensaal in Vienna.

One can only hope that Decca will release this exceptional interpretation again, in a new remaster, since it is a legendary performance. But if you'll find a copy, grab it now. Schmidt's fourth symphony is a great, moving, and memorable romantic work, and this is the very best interpretation.

Just thought that should be brought to your attention. You must change CDs after the first movement.