Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2
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CD Details

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Duain Wolfe
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Performer: Chicago Symphony Chorus
Performer: Miah Persson
Performer: Christianne Stotijn
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-11-17
Music Label: CSO Resound
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Resurrection'): Allegro maestoso. Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichem Ausdruck
Music CD 2
  1. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Resurrection'): Urlicht (Primal light). Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
  2. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Resurrection'): Im tempo des Scherzos. Wild herausfahrend

Music reviews of Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Music Review: A mild-mannered Mahler Second that erupts in a breathtaking ending
Rating: 4 Stars

Haitink's ongoing Mahler cycle from Chicago has now described some familiar contours. On the whole it features relaxed tempos, superb execution, vivid sonics, and a surplus of nuance over energy. At eighty, Haitink isn't to be counted out; he's capable of considerable concentration. But his native temperament is often too middle-of-the-road for Mahler, whose music calls for the opposite of caution and refinement as one's main objective.

Mahler performance is still overshadowed by Bernstein's temperament, which perfectly suited Mahler's, and those of us who want Mahler's tortured schizoid side, his childlike innocence and grim apocalyptic premonitions, his soaring idealism and sentimental nostalgia, feel cheated with less. Yet there's a marked divide here, and some notable Mahler interpreters, especially Boulez and Chailly, have carved out another path, where control, balance, and finesse predominate. That's the way of this new Mahler Second under Haitink, which bears little resemblance to Solti's famous Decca accounts, which were burning with vulgar excitement and drive. Boulez is cooler than Haitink, Tilson Thomas more mercurial, yet Haitink makes you listen to the wealth of subtlety he finds in the score. To be this civilized, he must ignore Mahler's directions at times, as when Mahler asks for the cellos and double basses to rip savagely into the opening theme -- here they are almost polite. However, the second movement minuet doesn't dawdle for all its lightness. The Scherzo moves with brisk momentum, if not the mischievous parody that Bernstein did so perfectly.

For many listeners the Mahler Second is about the gargantuan payoff of the finale, ushered in by the hushed "Urlicht" solo. The young Dutch mezzo Christianne Stotijn has become a favorite of her countryman Haitink, and I like her very much, too, despite a growing tendency for her gorgeous tone to wobble. Her solo is quite moving and musical, with a real connection to the verse, and she's just as good in the duets to come in the finale.

We're all on the edge of our seats anticipating the superlative Chicago brass and chorus. Both are reined in here, much as they are when Boulez conducts this work in Chicago. But the Chicago brass, even reined in, are more than up to Judgment Day. Valery Gergiev has a more interesting and riveting account on LSO Live, yet his brass section can't crack heaven open as this one can. The Chicago chorus always aims to be the best in the world, and their pianisssimo entrance is spine-tingling in its accuracy. For those who want the soprano soloist to enter with angelic seamlessness, Miah Persson is close to ideal, despite a touch of unsteadiness. In the final triumph of resurrection, Haitink goes for hushed majesty rather than visceral impact. Still, when the men of the Chicago chorus burst out in fortissimo a cappella, the effect is beyond compare. Sticklers for the score will also be happy to hear a prominent organ part.

The finale tells the whole story of this performance, which swings between Haitink's mild manners and the Chicagoans eruptive excitement. There's no settling the difference, so what you hear is what you get.
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