Search - Gustav Mahler, Otto Klemperer, Kathleen Ferrier :: Mahler: Sinfonie No. 2 "Resurrection"

LONG-RESOUNDING

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 12/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Klemperer is far more to my liking as a conductor of Mahler than of Beethoven. He was Mahler's pupil, and whether for that reason or not there is no feeling in the two Mahler performances I have from him (this and the 9th) of the stodginess that tends to get in the way of my enjoyment of his Beethoven. This recording belongs in my collection chiefly because it commemorates Ferrier. It dates from 1951, and although I know that Klemperer did at least two more versions, I have never been driven to acquire them simply because I have always been so pleased with this one. The recorded quality is extremely good - I have just had the opportunity to compare it with Kaplan's new version, and you might be astonished how well it survives the comparison even in that regard. The performance is simply magnificent. The many changes of tempo in the first movement are negotiated with the most consummate skill, and the lovely lyrical sequence near the end of the movement has a clear-eyed serene beauty that I can't ever remember hearing better realised. The tempo in the second movement is perfect or maybe even something more. Throughout the whole performance there is a fire that you may not particularly associate with this conductor. More particularly, there is a feel for Mahler's very special orchestral sound that I find quite exceptional, not least from a maestro whom I have more than once seen described as being indifferent to the finer points of this matter.Jo Vincent in the smaller of the two solo parts is fine, but of course the spotlight is on Ferrier. Her Urlicht is a model - simple, unmannered and right. As nearly always, her exceptional presence and personal impact reach out as it seems they will always do, and of course that voice was unique and utterly unmistakable. There is a real aura of greatness about this set, and if you can still find a copy I should acquire it and ask questions later. You are not likely to be dissatisfied with the answers you get."

Mercurial performance!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 07/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mahler had recurring visions of his own death from his early years: these dark thoughts meant for him a perpetual obsession. A personality born in permanent conflictive state in its every dimension, foredestined to live in constant duality: ways of living, the contrats between his natal Bohemia and the sophisticated Vienna. The loss of the innocence, the oppressive figure of his authoritative father, the multiple contradictions between the word and the action, the breakthrough of the ancient landscapes and the announce of a better world, the painful step from the innocence to the experience.

His Second Symphony is a true recognition of the inscrutable, unavoidable and inescapable fate- he titled the first movement " Celebration of the Dead ".

In this sense if his first Symphony concludes with an admirable sense of affirmation or verticality statement , the Second Symphony is a journey to the last borders of the anguish, and Theodor Reik a a friend of Mahler in his book " The haunting melody " states the second Symphony remains a fascinating study in the esthetics of the unconscious.

Klemperer conducted one of the most passionate and descriptive versions of this colossal work. A lavish compilation with unrestrained sense of searching through the complex mahlerian universe.

Kathleen Ferrier's texture is simply captivating. She got into the hidden and dark emotional spheres of this honest artist: Klemperer conduction is assertive with the whole orchestra making a superb accompaniment.

Go for this CD without any restriction.

Recorded live at the Holland Festival, 12 July 1951, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

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