Who would have thought that a symphony this big, this complex, and this ambitious would become a repertory item, with so many really first-rate recordings? Here's my not very short list of the best of them.
I only discovered these RU-vid talks by you recently and have been watching a lot of them lately. Of course, no two persons' musical tastes are identical, and I do not agree with you on everything, but I have found that I agree with you on A LOT! I think your musical training, your experience in orchestral performances, your having studied the scores, and your extensive knowledge of music history, conductors, and recordings all combine to make your reviews more informative and authoritative than most. Thanks for making your reviews and comparisons of recordings available for all of us to watch. They have helped me tremendously in discovering recordings I did not previously know about and refining my CD collection.
I was lucky enough to experience a wonderful live performance by Tennstedt at the Festival Hall in London. Possibly the most moving performance I've ever heard of ANYthing!
Yes, I too was there at the RFH .... I have never ever forgotten it. So glad I can be in touch with two persons who were also in the hall with me. I will take the memory of it until my final day.
Thank you for this channel! Just found it, and was positively stunned by the pertinence, friendliness and knowledge of your commentaries. Thank you so much, and all the best to you!
Loved this discussion! For me, Tennstedt and the live recording with the London Philharmonic thrills and excites every time I listen to it. It is described as a very special recording and I am glad you agree, Dave!
I had the honour to be present at a live concert with the London Philharmonic of the Mahler 2nd. To the very day I die, I will never forget the performance. When it ended the audience remained totally silent, silent. We were stunned, but when the applause began, it went on and on and on.
Back at the end of the last century, I was working for a tiny (just 4 of us) independent producing, recording, and editing/post-production studio in west London. One of my first editing jobs was Tennstedt's Mahler 8 with the LPO, how fabulous was that! Soon after that was Kaplan's Mahler 2... I assumed, over all these years (much though I thought it was fabulous!) that it was a dilettante's version, what with him buying Mahler's original score and baton, and being taught to conduct for this recording. I'm glad to see some comments here giving it credence. I didn't really know the music before I had to edit it, and boy, do you really learn a score, having to listen to it over and over over and over over and over! Rattle, who I haven't always liked, gave an absolutely brilliant, very moving performance of the 2nd a few days ago at the Proms, with the LSO - he used no score (in the interview before the performance, he said that he had conducted it over a 100 times, the first time as a 16-year old!) and the chorus sang it from memory too. An overwhelming Finale, I urge you to try and see the recording, it's available on the BBC iPlayer.
Thanks for the recommendations. My favorite Mahler 2nd for years were Walter and Kelmperer's. Then I heard Scherchen, the ultimate act of musical perversion, and I fell in love with it. And then the Stokowski (live BBC, 1963), came out, and my journey with the piece was over.
Thanks for another great video Dave! 20 years ago I bought the first Kaplan recording with the LSO but since buying Mehta, Tennstedt, Solti and Klemperer, I haven't listened to it for a long time. Gave it another go this week and found it excellent! Wonderful sound and a really vibrant performance, exciting and lovely detail. Kaplan's devotion to the work shines through.
WOW WOW WOW. I just listened to the Ozawa recording you recommend in this video. What an exhilarating performance. And how wonderful to hear a true contralto in the Urlicht. It's just like you said - HOT STUFF!!
The Blomstedt/SFS record has always been a favorite of mine, nice to see it getting some love. The playing is perfect, the interpretation is balanced, and the sound quality is as clear as a bell. I think it also has the best recorded-quality of the off stage brass. I also put Bernstein's DG, and, the not as popular of a choice of Boulez with Vienna at the top of the list. Another great video, Dave!
I'm so glad you begin with Walter and Klemperer. Those are two of my favorite recordings. I have found that some folks underappreciate the elegance/intensity/mystery of the Walter, in particular.
Two offbeat Mahler 2s must be mentioned: Klemperer's live Bavarian Radio recording (1965) - with the divine vocal pairing of Heather Harper & Janet Baker - is smashing in so many ways. (I prefer it to his studio effort.) Also, Abravanel did not have a virtuoso orchestra under him in Salt Lake City, but he conducts the piece straight and true - and then hits you over the head with the marvelous Tabernacle acoustics, its legendary choir, and, in the roaring finale, Beverly Sills (before international fame) soaring thrillingly above them all like a triumphant angel. Its entirety is far from perfect, but the climax is breathtaking. (And the Dolby sound is very very good.) Otherwise, it's Walter all the way for me. I enjoy your videos enormously. I do not agree with all your choices, but as a performer, music professor, and published reviewer I love a good, intelligent scrap over comparing "favored" recordings. Your videos are addictive. Thanks!
My first encounter with any Mahler was back in the late 60's in college. I had purchased a recording of THE NINTH! at a department store and it was scratched. When I took it back, the clerk, who was very knowledgeable, did not have a replacement, but suggested another symphony with a choral ending, the Mahler 2nd. The title "Resurrection" intrigued me, so I took it home and fell in love. It was, by the way, the Bernstein/NY Phil. LP.
Interesting choices. I don't know any of the recordings chosen. I love this symphony beyond measure, and so it's great to have some new recommendations.
"Sugaring the Pill." These discussions and chatty imparting of your experiences and views is not only very informative but amusing. I wish I had been exposed to this when young and first became acquainted with music.- Guidelines for the questions without words.
So nice to see Yoel Levi, Leonard Slatkin and Herbert Blomstedt get their due. You're right too that Zubin Mehta really had a way with the M2 and the VPO Decca recording is the one I always recommend to anybody who is curious about Mahler. I do find Berstein's DG recording a bit labored in the finale, but will chase down the Tennstedt and Fischer based on your recommendations. Really enjoying your chats--they're informed and fun.
I think this symphony is the one where I (an admitted lay person when it comes to the depth/breadth of all the different versions of so many of the great pieces) really noticed the difference between the "quality of the performance" and the "quality of the recording," and how each one can separately make or break a recording. I happened to have the Blomstedt version (because I saw him conduct live recently, and have been collecting some of his recordings because I really admire him as a conductor) - that performance is splendid, and the recording is excellent. I picked up Fischer-Budapest today, and can immediately here a slight uptick in recording quality from the Blomstedt version - especially in the percussion. Both are fantastic performances, I think the Fischer is a slightly better recording. I learn from your videos every time, so thank you as always, sir.
Dave, I appreciate what you do and the "enrichment" you bring to your discussion from the standpoint of long experience...not to mention personal enthusiasm. I would like to put in a vote for Abravanel/Utah. It originally came out in 1967 in the initial release of Vanguard Cardinal series...which was really based on Vanguard's use of Dolby Noise Reduction and thus that series has amazing dynamic range for the time. Abravanel was conducting Mahler in Utah before Lenny conducted it in New York. The first Resurrection was in about 1952 and was a huge challenge for an orchestra that was only about 5 years old. He repeated it in about 1958 and the, after I had spent 3 years in Germany...speaking German, when I returned it was the first thing I saw him conduct in the Tabernacle in the Spring of 1966. Abravanel was really a mentor to me so I treasure his Mahler for very personal reasons. He was also a close friend of Bruno Walter who, in fact, suggested that Abravanel apply for the job in Salt Lake in 1947. Abravanel could have had an international career having conducted the Berlin Philharmonic before leaving Europe and then becoming the youngest conductor (to that time) ever to grace the pit at the Metropolitan Opera. But he settled in Utah because "he wanted to build his own orchestra." The orchestra deteriorated somewhat after his retirement in 1978...but has been restored to top condition under Thierry Fischer during the past 14 seasons. Abravanel's 2nd was recorded in the SL Tabernacle (a difficult venue acoustically) and had the use of the Tabernacle Organ (one of the great organs in this country) for the recording. A youngish Beverly Sills sang the soprano...before she was BEVERLY SILLS...and she credits Abravanel for helping launch her career (in her biography, Bubbles) since they partnered many times. Anyhow, an unlikely venue or geographical location for a world-class Mahler recording...the first cycle with an American Orchestra and its Music Director. I have five recordings of the 2nd...but for reasons explained this one has special meaning to me.
Thank you, David, for sacrificing yourself over and again (joyfully, it seems) for us all. One recording which, for me, stands high in the Pantheon is, sadly, never even found in the lists of greatest performances. It is led by the towering Mahlerian conductor Maurice Abravanel with his Utah Symphony Orchestra on Vanguard Classics. Today, after over half a century and countless great performances, its own greatness has not dimmed. Quite the contrary. While yielding nothing in conveying the terror inherent in the work, Abravanel's reading is suffused with humanity more than almost any other I have ever heard. Mezzo Florence Kopleff is radiant in the "Urlicht" and finale, and the angelic voice of the young Beverly Sills soars with heartstopping beauty above the combined forces in the closing passages. The chorus is superb. While every music-lover will (and should) have his favorite recording(s) of the work, no music-lover should deny himself the opportunity to be profoundly moved by this one.
Absolutely. it's taut, dramatic, intense in a way that make a lot of performances by big-name conductors and bands seem sluggish by comparison. Great soloists, beautiful, soaring finale; a real sleeper!
Gilbert Kaplan's recording on MCA has been sitting on my shelf for years on end. Thank you David for spurring me to take it out and listen to it. I was really blown away by both the interpretation and sound. He shapes the whole symphony from beginning to end without exaggerating or underplaying the details. The finale is tremendous and the organ is very present. I also love the singing of Benita Valente and Maureen Forrester. He also gets the LSO to sound like a Mahler Orchestra unlike another conductor who shall not remain nameless (read Horenstein). I think this is another sleeper performance that keeps the listener wide awake.
Hi, I was present for 3 rehearsals plus the concert of Kaplan conducting the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. It will be an experience I will never forget. He told us to observe the audience when the choir stood up. Truly amazing.
Karajan was my first. I was 15. The opening almost literally knocked me off my feet. I then found Bernstein, which I thought was rather heavy, but gorgeous. Kaplan’s first recording came out when I was 18. I bought it and it instantly became my favourite.
@@tonyxie7283 You’re right. It was Claudio Abbado’s 1977 recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, featuring Marilyn Horne. I borrowed the cassette tapes from the local city library when I was 15. I don’t know why after all these (nearly 40) years, I thought it was Karajan. It might have been the DG label and characteristic artwork.
53 Years ago today (3/23/68) I bought my first Mahler recordings at Chicago's legendary Rose Records.. #3 (Bernstein's 1st) and the Klemperer "Resurrection" with the Philharmonia, my "imprinted" version; I still love it, despite its slap-dash 1st movement, numerous wrong notes, etc...it still has a unique magic all its own (PLUS a great chorus and a very creepy, ominous sounding off-stage band in the Finale..AND the Philharmonia's GREAT large Tam-Tam, which was heard to much greater effect in Klemperer's concert performance with the same forces..but Janet Baker's mezzo.. from, I think, 1963). My hands-down best Mahler 2 is (here it comes--) Maazel/Vienna, an amazingly VIVID, idiomatic performance that makes the work sound totally NEW..a revelation! Everything is defined, weighted, nuanced, and sustained with such control, authority and imagination, that everything LEAPS off the page from beginning to end (try the Scherzo). AND..lest you think this is just Maazel's idiosyncratic conducting (his reputation as a pompous, ego-maniac, alas, will forever doom his Mahler cycle to oblivion), it's not. Every time you say "Hey, he's really exaggerating that!", you look at the score..and THERE IT IS, in Mahler's own notation. The sound spectrum in the Finale is a tad diffuse due, I imagine, to the increased performing forces, but overall, a serious admirer of this work should not be without Maazel's performance. There are so many others to choose from... Gilbert Kaplan's ("Mr. Mahler 2") 1st recording is darn' good and Lenny's two NY versions are great. (I still recall Stereo Review's rave review of Abravanel's "Apocalyptic" recording with Utah, but....not really). Dave, I'm also a percussionist and proud owner of several Tam-Tams, including a five-footer..but it's Taiwanese, and very brassy in sound (which I favor over the color-less Wuhan variety that everybody now uses). I've used it in two performances of Mahler 2, plus Mahler 8th and Respighi's "Church Windows", when it stole the show. And yes, I've done the "mad dash" off-stage in Mahler 2 on both occasions, once to play triangle, the other (at Orchestra Hall in Chicago) to play cymb/Bd (also Mahler 3- 1st Mvt military drums). In each case, rushing back on JUST IN TIME to beat the hell out of the big Tam-Tam made it especially thrilling. LR
I once heard a portion of Ormandys recording and was shocked! I hardly recognized the work. Very different. I love the added high trumpet note at the last measure of the finale in Sinopoli's version.
So pleased to hear you give Maazel praise. That CBS set was my first recording of the piece on LP and I guess I imprinted on it. Good to know someone else likes it. Since then, I’ve acquired several others which are probably better, but I still have a lot of respect for that Maazel. Funny though..I don’t really like the rest of that cycle...well maybe the 4th.
At this point in my life I go a long way back with Mahler's Resurrection Symphony. I was in Thailand the first time I heard it. There was no music there that I would listen to but the Air Force Base I was stationed at had a music listening center where one could borrow vinyl recordings and listen on ear phones in sound proof cubicles. It was one of those rare mornings wherre I had nothing much to do so I wandered in. I had never heard Mahler's 2nd before that moment and I think that Ressurection may well have resurrected me! Now much later on my wife and I are firmly addicted to the Second Symphony and I am constantly searching for video recordings that I have not heard/seen previously which is how I found your wonderful tallk this evening. I was a bit disappointed that you made no mention of Gustavo Dudamel's recording. We watch that often on RU-vid and in fact on CD as well among others. I wondered what your thoughts were on that, done at the Proms originally?
Have you seen that the original score is on display at the Cleveland art museam? It is being temporarily displayed there as it was donated to the Cleveland orchestra. I am 21 and recently discovered my love for this type of music after being randomly recommended a video of a Bernstein performance. This symphony made me feel emotions I never knew I could feel through music, and being from Cleveland, I had to go see it in person. It is incredible!
In November of 1967, I watched a vibrant 85-year-old Leopold Stokowski lead an exciting Philadelphia performance with Veronica Tyler and Maria Lucia Godoy. Despite the absence of Janet Baker in his RCA London Urlicht from eight years later, the Philly musicians played their hearts out for their beloved leader emeritus, who rarely came back to the Academy of Music after that. What a formative way for me to hear the Auferstehung for my very first time. Arkadia resurrected it live on CD in the 1980's, but the channels were reversed. Fortunately, with PC digital editing, I can now recapture the sonics accurately with the virtual flick of a button. Your talk and the ensuing comments have captured an endless list of winning Mahler 2 discs, but please don't leave out Otto Klemperer's extraordinary 1951 Holland Festival CD with Kathleen Ferrier and the Concertgebouw. Good mono sound, with depth and clarity that supplement the moving, spiritual conducting. I also love the Steinberg-Cologne recording, Abbado's exciting Chicago and peculiarly organ-less Vienna efforts (I also saw him lead a great one in Philadelphia in the late 60's), and Ormandy's excellent, underrated RCA entry.
Due to a previous engagement with Army Basic Training, I missed the 1967 Stoky, but I did hear him perform it magnificently with the American Symphony Orchestra in NY around '71. I later ran into someone who had been in the chorus who said it had been a transcendent experience.
It is such a joy to have found you on RU-vid...Love your passion. I re-listened to the Mahler 2nd performed by Mehta and Blomstedt. Both excellent. I also like the first Solti 's version with the LSO, - the recording that is so well done. - far better than his version with CSO. ,The Fischer is very good , but I will listen again after your comments. Have you heard the Levine live performance with VPO on Orfeo...I will probably buy it.
In the 1980's Richard Freed made a list called "The Basic Reportoire" for Stereo Review magazine. He recommended Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic. I bought it and I enjoyed it for many years. Thanks to this list, I am discovering new exciting performances.
Thank you for this wonderful and thoughtful review! Funny the Mahler 2 I imprinted with was Gilbert Kaplan's first Mahler 2 on RCA (when it first came out), but I prefer his DG Mahler 2 now. I still like what he did with it after all these years! (I concur it's probably not a first choice for most.) My first choice is Bernstein's DG Mahler 2.
I've been looking forward to your discussion of this symphony; great chat. I imprinted on Bernstein's NYPO recording from the 1960's and was overwhelmed by its intensity and commitment. Yes, the sound has its problems, but the performance is truly incredible. I wanted to like Bernstein's LSO remake(audio not video) but it lacks the raw power of the earlier recording. We have all of your recommended versions (except for Tennstedt, which I have heard, and the earlier Haitink) and I generally agree with your assessments. My current "go-to" recording is Bernstein on DG; I downloaded the Blomstedt to my iPhone. BTW the Klemperer and Mehta/VPO performances are available as single CD's. I finally found and purchased Slatkin/St Louis in a DSD Hybrid SACD format, and, as you say, it is fabulous. Hard to believe he supposedly does not care for Mahler.Now let's talk about recordings of Mahler 1.
I have a Bernstein and LSo version on CBS masterworks as a fat CD from the eighties. Is that the live one you are talking about? If so it isa great powerful version.
There's a video of Ozawa's interpretation with Saito Kinen that I just watched. You are right!!! How did I miss that one? I'll try to see if Amazon has the CD. Thank you...
Hi my friend. Mahler 2 is the best music ever made. And i would like to thank you for the way you talk. My english is not so good, but I can understand 100% of what you say. You are very clear.
Hello! As always is a pleasure and a great learning process to hear your comments and analysis. I wondering why you did not mentioned the Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony and Isobel Buchanan (soprano), Mira Zakai (contralto) Chicago Symphony Chorus. I do not know if it because that was the first version that I heard; but I love the Solti version of Mahler 2; from my humble point of view, very dynamic, musically well phrased; is a whole, complete work, also with a fantastic finale. Anyway, I enjoy it a lot hear your analysis and comments. Thank you
I'm sorry, but I find it to be a pretty mediocre performance, inferior to Solti's first recording with the London Symphony, recorded in harsh, early digital sound. That is why I didn't mention it.
I was fortunate enough to spend a fair amount of time around Ozawa at Tanglewood in the early 90's and the one thing I learned is he has a master's touch on really large scale works.
By now, you won't be surprised to learn that the first recording of the M2 I bought (circa early/mid-70s) was the Bruno Walter two LP set on Odyssey. I loved that recording right from the start. During the next few years, as well as listening to that recording many times on its own, I occasionally treated myself to sessions in which I did direct movement-by-movement comparisons between the Walter and another recording I had borrowed from the library. Among those other recordings, I recall, were the first Bernstein/NYPO, Haitink/Concertgebouw, and Solti/LSO. In each case, despite the merits of the alternative recordings, in the end I preferred Walter's performance in matters of orchestral detail, tempo, and overall emotional impact. Of course, by now, I've heard dozens of M2 recordings, including most of those that you recommend. I greatly admire and enjoy many of those, as well as some others that you don't mention. But that leads me to a observation and a question: Recalling the situation re. recordings of the Mahler 2nd (and by extension, all the Mahler symphonies) in the mid-1970s, two recordings seemed to receive far more critical acclaim and publicity than any others: the aforementioned Bernstein and Solti. Fast forward 45 years: Despite the outpouring of many terrific Mahler recordings by dozens of younger conductors and numerous orchestras, and despite having left this world 30 years ago, Bernstein is still widely regarded as the king of Mahler conductors. But Solti? His Mahler recordings from London and the complete cycle from Chicago are still available, but does anyone still regard them as among the best ever? Does Solti's high-powered London Resurrection, not to mention his Chicago remake, still have admirers, or is it dismissed as crude and overblown? Is it a prime exhibit in the argument that orchestral virtuosity and sonic splendor are not enough? Incidentally, one of the most memorable and overwhelming concerts I ever attended was a matinee performance at Avery Fischer Hall on Good Friday, 1988. Yes--the Mahler 2nd, with Bernstein conducting the NYPO, Christa Ludwig, Barbara Hendricks, and the Westminster Choir--one of the series of performances from which Bernstein's DG recording was compiled. ~ John Drexel
My favourite Mahler symphony! Agree with many of your recommendations there David... I like Litton's, especially how he drags out the hammer blows in the first movement, like nobody else! I like Ivan Fischer's (can't wait to see how his brother gets on, am sure it'll be good), the playing is superb and I love how he slows the horns down when they deliver the first big tune in the finale, so grand. Klemperer's is a must although I have to say that in some ways I prefer his recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony orchestra, Heather Harper and Janet Baker, have you heard it? Others that I recommend are: Sinopoli and the Philharmonia - one of his best Mahler recordings in the cycle Maazel and the Philharmonia (live cycle he did a few years ago before he sadly passed away) Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco symphony - nobody delivers the hammer blow climax like he does in the first movement Jansons and the Bavarian Radio symphony - a recent recording and very exciting, especially with the big climax as the choirs stand up in the finale Zinman and the Tonhalle Zurich - a very fine cycle from Zinman, and Mahler 2 is up there as one of his best, speeds are brisk Jonathan Nott and Bamber - not a lot of air time for this but it's an excellent Mahler cycle! Abbado and the Lucerne Festival - live recording and just superb And finally, Stokowski and the LSO on BBC Legends from the Proms (the premiere of the work in 1963, Stokowski was 81) where, as an encore, he repeated the final choral sequence! 😊 What a thrill that must have been. Love your little story at the end regarding his studio recording. It now comes in a RCA Stereo Collection and includes some rehearsals (2 or 3 from Mahler 2 I think), a joy!
Agreed. The ‘74 recording Mr Hurwitz mentions is the RCA effort to replicate the ‘63 version you mentioned. The RCA recorded sound is spectacular and the music is well-played, but I find the ‘63 rendition far more compelling in every way other than audio engineering, which really isn’t terrible anyway.
I appreciate the recommendations (read on ClassicsToday over the years) and greatly enjoyed your discussion. It's my favourite of the Mahler symphonies. I still have a soft spot for my "imprint" recording, the (guilty whisper) CBSO/Rattle. But the Ozawa (live), Tennstedt (live), Ivan Fischer, Jurowski, are all favourites. I live in the hopes of a long-lost Mitropoulos recording being discovered.
@@DavesClassicalGuide For the first time in your broadcasts I find that I actually have all of your modern Spot on about Ozawa recommendations in my collection. all great Also, I like the Jurowski too. I find his no pause between the end of the scherzo and the beginning of the Urlicht to be an effective novelty. I wonder how many others do this? Spot on about Ozawa, too. I heard him do the ninth at Carnegie Hall with this group, and especially noteworthy at the end (with a large, well behaved QUIET audience) a real fade into nothingness.
The Ozawa recording with the Saito Kinen Orchestra features guest principal players including Vic Firth on Timpani, Tim Morrison on Trumpet, and Karl Leister on Clarinet.
Fischer and Blomstedt are also my favorites, although I prefer Blomstedt's version. He conducts the 2nd movement as a real slow movement and the 3rd movement as a real Schezo. The deep timpani at the beginning of Fischer's third movement sounds spectacular. You feel it throughout your whole body. I've never heard that on any other recording.
Dave, I have followed your website on and off for years. However, I just recently stumbled upon your youtube videos. I had always imagined you as a stodgy/ stuck-up critic, but watching your videos, you are actually very personable. Percussion is my favorite part of orchestral nusic. I had no idea you were a percussionist. Anyway, I look forward to watching more of your videos. And, oh yes, M2 is one of my favorite symphonies.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I am really enjoying watching your videos. What a blast ! Thank you for doing them. Over the years, I have purchased many recordings based on your recommendations. Stodgy and stuck no more you are!
Hello Dave, I just found this video and enjoyed it very much. I am trying to find the Mahler 2nd. By the Dallas Symphony conducted by Eduardo Mata. This concert was recorded during the opening week of the opening of the Mortan H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Eduardo and his former wife Carmen were friends of mine. I attended the concert that week from the Conductor’s box with Carman Mata. It may or may not be a great recording. It was a direct digital to disc recording.
Another terrific review! My intro to the Mahler 2 was Walter’s which I still have on LP. I was in high school then and bought it at a nearby record store having heard Bernstein’s Young People’s lecture. The salesman was dumbfounded when I asked for it! Now I listen most often to Bernstein’s DG and Slatkin’s for two opposite interpretations. I also have Kaplan’s first recording with the LSO because everyone was buying it! I haven’t listened to it for years. I occasionally watch the Bernstein DVD but prefer that set for 1 and 3.
Enjoyed your story. I was in high school from ‘68 to ‘72 and I can picture my record store back then (just outside of Philadelphia). I can also imagine looking thru the racks for albums by Cream, The Doors, etc when someone comes in asking for Mahler. That would have brought the place to a stop! I didn’t get into classical music til I was 30 years old, so I admire those who got into it much earlier. Stay safe, John.
Ozawa's performance is one of my favourite, still find strange not quoting any of Abbado's performances of this beautiful symphony. Any thoughts on Mariss Jansons performance with Bayerischen Rundfunks?
I seem to have developed a liking for live versions of Mahler's 2nd - it's a work that really seems to gets an extra added frisson with an audience present; hence my preference for the Sony Ozawa, Klemperer's Bavarian Radio, and Haitink's Concertgebouw 1984 Christmas concert versions (I also definitely think the Dutch radio engineers did a better job in capturing the bass resonance of the Concertgebouw, than Philips did in his earlier cycle). Need to catch up with Tenndstedt live really!
Strongly agree on the Haitink/CO 1984 live recording (haven't heard the other ones). I think it is Haitink's best Mahler 2, as the earlier studio recording is somewhat lacking in key places (subpar horn playing, muffled sonics). Also, it has the best choral parts of any Mahler 2 I know of.
Hearing all these comments and after 50 years of listening, further reinforces my contention that there is no symphonic work that is more powerful, dramatic and emotionally gut wrenching than the M2.
I compared Mehta and Fischer from these recommendations. Fischer *might* edge Mehta as an interpreter, but Vienna sounds so good under Mehta that it’s got to be my choice. It’s just what I’ve been looking (listening) for!
I remember catching what I felt was an engrossing Second while driving and was able to hear most of it to the end. Was surprised to hear it announced as Stokowski and the LSO. He also did the first Proms performance in 1963 with Janet Baker, which, while not the same sonically, is a tremendous performance with a palpable sense of occasion. I also heard him conduct it live with the American Symphony Orchestra in the early 70s. I don't know if the tokes I had before the concert had anything to do with it, but the finale lifted me out of my seat.
Yesterday, I picked up two Mahler 2 performances for a dollar each at a flea market. They are Wit/Polish National Radio S. O. and Slatkin/St. Louis S. O. Lucky me !
Thanks, some interesting 2nds to investigate. I've got a real thing for the Klemperer, and you're not wrong about the organ in the Walter recording - WOMPH!
I appreciate your nod to Ozawa’s cycle with Boston. I took a shot at playing the trumpet professionally when I was young, and had several lessons with the principal there. Ozawa made some great records with them, as you say, but the records only sold well in Japan. He wasn’t German enough for a certain contingent of the audience.
I might agree or disagree on the best M2 recordings David chooses (mostly agree), but I am sure I have now discovered The Best M2 Review out there. Thanks David!!! P.S. As the video went on, I was afraid Ozawa/Saito Kinen slipped under David's radar, now I am happy it actually didn't, amazing recording! :)
I agree with Blomstedt, that's a terrific recording no one saw coming back in the day. I have it (with the same covere as in the video) and like it very much. I am a bit surprised to hear though it may have been re-issued on one disc... the performance is something like 86 minutes long... to fit that on one disc surely is way beyond the red-book standard (and therefore wouldn't have to play in every CD player).
Wonderful video and channel, David. Your doing well! I am wondering if you have ever heard Claudio Abbado's version with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra; for me at least it would be a sure addition to this list. Best wishes!
When Dave named the Ivan Fisher 2D his first choice, I was inspired to go back to my copy of it. Although reviewers consistently praise the quality of the recording, I found that it actually impeded my appreciation of the performance. The first issue was the dynamic level. In order to hear the quietest passages, I had to crank the volume up to lease-breaking and divorce-inciting levels. The other was the soundstage-even at higher volumes, it seemed distant and opaque, like watching a play through a scrim. Just to make sure it wasn't my aging ears or sound system that were at fault, I put on the Blomstedt. It sounded great. Did anyone else have this response to the Fisher? BTW, Dave mentioned "imprinting" on the Stokowski. I see his point about the recording being as much about Stokowski as Mahler, but I gotta say-the "Resurrection" I heard him conduct live with the American Symphony Orchestra in 1971 was an overwhelming experience that still resounds in my memory.
In other words, it's definitely your aging sound system. Fischer sounds fabulous on (several) of mine, old and new, and more to the point, the fact that one recording sounds better does not absolve your equipment of blame merely because another recordings doesn't sound the same.
@@DavesClassicalGuide It's not all that old. Every component (Oppo BDP-93 player, Yamaha 373 receiver, Wharfedale speakers, Polk subwoofer) was bought within the past 10 years. And whatever I play, from whatever source, sounds as good as I'd expect it to. Which is why the sound of the Fischer was such an anomaly. Is it possible to have a dud copy of a CD? At any rate, I enjoyed your survey of the "Resurrection," especially the mention of the Walter, which is the version I imprinted on while hearing it on the job in the Philly record shop where I worked after school around 1959-61. I think it may have been the first full Mahler symphony I ever owned.
Thanks for all these videos, they are terrific! Have you listened to the Gatti live recording with the Concertgebouw? I attended that concert, and it completely blew me away, but I haven't listened to the recording, so I don't know if that grandeur has survived on disc.
My reference for Mahler 2 is actually Bertini. The performance is very grandiose and powerful (especially the finale) but he manages to resist the urge to sprawl, while at the same time not being too fast or tight. It's just "right". (Admittedly I haven't heard most of the singles mentioned in this video.)
Dave, I recently bought the Klemperer recording of the Mahler "Resurrection" Symphony - the EMI "Great Recordings of the Century" reissue on CD. The performance is great, but there is a problem on Track 7, at the 3:44 point - no noise or click, the music just stops for a second or less. If it is a CD defect, then I can return it and get another copy. If it is a bad tape splice, will another copy of the CD have the same defect, or will another copy NOT have the same defect? That is the question. If you could listen to that same spot on your copy of this recording, I would appreciate it - Track 7, 3:44. Do you hear the same gap? If so, is it something that will be corrected once I get another copy of this disc?
At the suggestion of DJ Quinn, I found a live performance of Mahler's 2nd with Levine conducting the VPO from 1989 with Kathleen Battle and Christa Ludwig. It's a nice addition to his admirable Mahler box. It's a phenomenal performance like the other ones. The sound is a bit bright and you have to turn it up to hear the softer dynamics, but the detail is astonishing. Ludwig's singing is just divine. Dave, you might want to know that the timpani, the tam-tam, and the bells in the closing passages have never been clearer and more powerful than here without overpowering the orchestra. I've never been a fan of Ozawa's Mahler But his Sony version is really something special.
The first recording of Mahler's 2nd I ever heard was Bernstein's first and later, in college got his second with London, which admittedly has weird sonics, but the performance isn't bad. With the advent of CDs I got Slatkin's version on Telarc and was blown away. I don't think any version has a better 4th movement. I now have almost all the versions you've mentioned (and then some, twenty in total) and I find almost all of them enjoyable. Slatkin's still gets me in the gut, but so does Fischer and Blomstedt. Last year I heard San Francisco do it with Salonen conducting a very quirky version full of strange tempos and pauses to no good effect.
I see that I am somewhat late to the party, but I suppose that makes me more stylish. In any event, I heartily concur with Ozawa and especially Blomstedt; the San Francisco recording set me off on a quest to learn more about this incredible conductor.
Glad you mentioned Maazel from Vienna. My favorite. Much better then the remakes he did in London (Philharmonia), NYC (NYPO) or Munich (BRSO - from the unpublished cycle). His Vienna 2nd and 3rd (with the glorious slow finale) Mahler symphonies are real sleepers. The 7th and the 9th are the only one he did better later in life (both in London).
I'm sad that Solti with the LSO [my introduction to Mahler 2] and Solti with the CSO didn't make the cut. But I look forward to listening to Osawa and Fischer. Thank you for a great video.
Solti’s LSO recording was my introduction to Mahler 2, and the climactic crescendo to the finale is the one by which I still judge all the many other performances and recordings I have listened to since.
If you want Chicago, I prefer the Abbado recording. Solti gets a harsher sound in loud sections of every orchestra he conducts. The best Chicago recordings in the Solti era are often led by guests. Giulini, Abbado, Ozawa, Levine, etc.
I attended a live performance in London with Marin Alsop. She really got the best out of all the movements. Many I've heard do lip service to the middle movements, especially the 3rd. Alsop got the 3rd to swing rather than just knock it out like a metronome etude. Astonishingly, the concert was not fully attended. Perhaps this was because a number of front rows were kept empty. At the end, extra singers walked out and stood in front of the orchestra for extra volume. Odd decision. In other performances the choir stands at that point.
Thanks for the great discussion. You covered all the good and great ones, but I'd add Steinberg/ CRO and Jurowski/LPO on the list. Will you please spend 1 hour on Mahler Ninth recordings? ^
Mahler's second is a favorite - in the final minutes - I look for actual church bells instead of those percussion pipes - currently only the KBS in Korea and the Goteborg Symphony have such bells
I have a question about the harp glissando in the 5. movement just before #42! "Was ent-STAN-den ist". Mahler writes "(Der 1. Ton des Gliss. stark zu betonen)". Do you know ANY recording that has the "f" forte and ringing out and the ppp scale acting like a shadow of this (fading overtones)? A friend of mine told me he had heard it ONCE but can't remember who and when. I myself think Kaplan has it "in a way". So if you could help me out here, that would be very nice. Thank you!
Probably my favourite Symphony. And my favourite disc? The Tennstedt live RFH performance. I'm envious of the people who talk about having been there. The sense os 'something special' certainly comes through in this wonderful recording with its huge dynamic range. So much beautiful playing from the orchestra. The final section is a tad slow for my taste but otherwise superb. I think this, as in many recordings, benefits from being 'live'. It feels disappointing to hear no reaction after Mahler's stupendous final bars. Thanks Dave for another enjoyable video. Have you heard the live Tennstedt?
The Mahler recordings I have are a tissue of singletons compiled over the years. Do you have any thoughts on DG's "Mahler: the People's Edition" in which the recordings included ostensibly reflect the results of ~5,000 votes from a web poll? I think some of them are singletons you've mentioned favorably, but I don't know about all of them. It seems at least an attempt to circumvent the "all cycles are variable" problem (if problem it is).
Actually it isn't an attempt to do anything other than sell records. I have no idea about the methodology used but the cycle is as variable as any other.
Love your vids!!! What did yoi actually thought of the Kaplan VPO mahler 2? Im curious because altough Kaplan isn't a proffesional conductor I think that he made a great mahler 2 record
Considering Walter’s studio Columbia/Sony recording, it was recorded in two sections because the recording sessions were sadly interrupted by his first heart attack. For those that are bothered by the change in tempo as a result-both Dave and I aren’t-there is a live recording with the NY Phil on Music & Arts which is very good. “You’ll be glad you did!”
I imprinted on Rattle's CBSO recording which I'm surprised doesn't make the cut here. His more recent recording (Berlin?) was disappointing but he's a great Mahlerian IMO, and done a lot ot popularise him in the UK (where Mahler concerts sell out in minutes it has to be said - RSNO were opening and closing their 2020/21 season with the second and eighth which I was very much looking forward to, but I suspect those aren't happening now).
Well, we disagree about Rattle's Mahler, but the version you imprinted on is always going to be special. I imprinted (as I said) on the Stokowski version, but now I know that it was not very good--even perverse. The more versions you hear and the better you know the work, the more you may have reason to revise your opinion--or you may be very happy as it is and continue to love Rattle best. It's really fine either way because what really matters is the pleasure that the recording gives YOU. Thank you for posting!
Rattles BCSOis absolutely worth mentioning but me also choose finally for another. Mine is the Eliahu Inbal, Hurwitz is completely forgotten in some way or another .. nothing compared to it or comes close to its Mahlerian Mahler.
I remember as a college freshman in the mid 80s hearing the Klemperer EMI recording on LP in the library and deciding I had to start collecting Mahler symphonies. The gentleman who conducted an orchestra I had played in in high school (who had studied with Bernstein) recommended the Bernstein LSO recording. "Don't get the earlier one he made with NY Phil," he cautioned, "that one is about as bad as the London one is good!" But I think I agree with you that the one he eventually did for DG surpasses both of them in terms of sheer excitement. Bernstein could be accused of excesses, but for this symphony he could get away with it! BTW, on the Klemperer recording, I'm surprised they left the bassoon blooper in (about 35 seconds into the 1st mvt, one of the players comes in a beat early)!
Dave, in 1995 Bernard Haitink recorded this symphony with the Staatskapelle Dresden, which was released on the Profil/Hanssler label . It was a live performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden in WWII. Have you heard this performance, and what do you think of it?
Thank you for this. Listen to Mahler 2 at least once weekly. Love to blast the ending, when the organ joins, as I drive, especially when I pull up to some kid blaring some unintelligible cacophony from his car. No match for Mahler. Which recording is the most sonically satisfying? I am a trained organist and want to HEAR the instrument accompanying a heavenly joyous chorus at the end. You mention the Bruno Walter. Any other suggestions?
I had Sunopoli's recording which was ok, but there's one moment in the last bar where he "adds" a trumpet that's an octave higher than usual. I thought it was very right on and think Mahler would have approved.
Hi Dave, just discovered your channel. Really appreciate your reviews. I have a question for you. I love the Chailly Mahler symphonies. Has he recorded Das Lied von der Erde. Can't seem to find anything online. Thanks so much, Steve
Great selections. I would only add Václav Neumann's recording. The sound of the Czech Philharmonic is wonderful, and his 19-minute first movement works amazingly well. It is less grandiose than more expansive readings, of course, but it makes the movement -- as well as the symphony as a whole -- feel much more taut.
@@adambomb30 Ah, yes. They are so devoid of indulgence and exaggeration. His Gewandhaus fifth is another personal favourite; beautiful playing. I wish more conductors would take the scherzo at 16:30 and the adagietto at 9:30 (as it should be).
@@mariosefardi-casella2730 Mine too, as part of DGs Walkman series. The Klimt (died of the Spanish Flu unfortunately) artwork was an added bonus to the LP releases which may have added emotional attachment.
