Track Listings (2) - Disc #1| All Artists: Gustav Mahler, Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Lisa Milne Title: Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in c minor [Hybrid SACD] Members Wishing: 2 Total Copies: 0 Label: Channel Classics Nl Original Release Date: 1/1/2006 Re-Release Date: 10/10/2006 Album Type: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import Genre: Classical Style: Symphonies Number of Discs: 2 SwapaCD Credits: 2 UPC: 723385235064 |
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Search - Gustav Mahler, Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in c minor [Hybrid SACD]
![Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in c minor [Hybrid SACD]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/81/4981/6144981.jpg) | Gustav Mahler, Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in c minor [Hybrid SACD] Genre: Classical
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CD ReviewsWhere's the Fire? Eric J. Matluck | Hackettstown, NJ United States | 01/22/2007 (2 out of 5 stars) "This is a dissenting opinion, a review of a performance that was not to my taste. I'm not going to bash it because I don't think it's a bad or actively offensive performance of Mahler's work, but I do find it lacking in too many of the elements that to me are essential to a satisfying interpretation of this music. When I first discovered Mahler's symphonies, at the time I was in college, they were through the performances by Bernard Haitink, which had been held in very high esteem in certain quarters but taken to task for being too "sane" in others. These interpretations were seen as the antithesis of Leonard Bernstein's overtly (or overly) emotive ones. I've never developed a stomach for Bernstein's Mahler, though it has many, many adherents. Given that, I expected that a more objective interpretation, which I'd read Ivan Fischer provides, would be to my liking. But I think his reading is far too low-keyed and underpowered to generate even the excitement that Haitink's could, not to mention Bernstein's. When I found myself longing for some of the throat-grabbing emotionalism that Lenny could bring, I knew something was amiss. To me the difficulties began at the first bar. Rather than a stirring held chord, what I heard sounded weak. There was no fire, no sense of suspense, and the orchestra, as it would throughout the performance, sounded noticeably small. The second theme was quite beautifully played, lovely and radiant, but that loveliness and radiance seemed to inform most of the movement, and this, in my opinion, is not music that should sound pretty. The second movement, on the other hand, which presents one of Mahler's simplest and most beautiful melodies, seemed overinterpreted. The music never flowed but sounded micromanaged bar by bar. As I told a friend of mine, I had to rely on my memory of this music to follow what was being played. The scherzo struck me as dull, with none of the sinister or even ironic quality that seems so much a part of it. That's where my first listen ended. Then, out of curiosity and fairness, I gave it another spin. No better. The "Urlicht" was sung beautifully enough, but it didn't tug at my heart the way it has in other performances, and the finale seemed no more apocalyptic than a barbershop glee until the final pages that, for me, were ruined by overprominent percussion, turning the piece into a spectacle through which it lost any sense of spiritual transcendence. Criticism is a tricky thing. Everybody has his or own life experiences that shape his or her taste, so what satisfies one will not necessarily satisfy another. This recording has garnered praise from many quarters, and I wish I could add to that praise, but I can't. Delicate, refined, and polite when it's not sounding vulgar and manipulative, this is not a performance I can endorse." Mahler's Universe Realized Lawrence A. Schenbeck | Atlanta, GA USA | 12/08/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "I am not a blind-eyed, totally rabid fan of Ivan Fischer's work. Loved his Bartok series, hated his recent Tchaikovsky Fourth. That said, I concur with the other positive reviews here. This Mahler Second is enormously effective, heartfelt because it's never over-the-top. You catch the subtle things, the ironies, the humor, the innocence of the folk poetry, and much more. And the final movement really does become APOCALYPTIC. It's the most terrifying depiction of the Last Trump, etc., etc., ever composed, and (with this recording) ever put on disc. This is partly the nature of the Super Audio CD recording process, with its unbelievably wide dynamic range and these engineers' ability to capture, as someone said, the big and little tam-tams, the church bells, all the phenomenal detail Mahler builds into it. Which is not to emphasize technical matters over musical ones. Fischer and his forces are unfailingly musical and expressive -- the briefest instrumental solos are handled with aplomb and real character, the tuttis are stunning. It's all shaped by a man who knows how to make Mahler's universe palpable for 21st-century audiences. Get this, and go get yourself an SACD player so you can hear every last bit of it. (Although I suspect that even the Redbook CD version captures what's essential.)" Five and a half stars! B. Guerrero | 12/01/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "I'll go so far as to call this the best overall Mahler "Resurrection" ever to have been recorded - and I say that as someone who has listened to pretty much every one in great detail. Rather than list all the why's, I'll simply refer you to David Hurwitz's detailed review at Classicstoday.com. I'll just simply add that this one shows ALL of the positive characteristics of the recent Boulez/Vienna Phil. Mahler 2nd, but with none of the drawbacks. To be specific, there's sufficient organ here (almost none on the Boulez), and Fischer's scherzo catches all of the implied irony and humor that the Boulez totally lacks. Fischer matches Boulez in capturing the massive sonorities of the brass in the fifth movement, and even trumps him in making Mahler's exacting polyphony for the percussion at the end of the symphony perfectly clear and audible (deep bells, plus high and low pitched tam-tams). In addition, Birgit Remmart is every bit as good as Michelle De Young is, and Fischer does a better job of pegging the first movement's climax than Boulez does.
In truth, I'm not trying to run down the Boulez, which does have some great moments. Instead, I'm just pointing out that with Fischer - combined with Channel Classics' excellent sonics - you can have your cake and eat it too. One small drawback: Fischer is on two discs while Boulez fits on one. Neither Fischer or Boulez provide any extra tracks for the long fifth movement (aaaarghhhh!). Still, these are minor points, and are certainly nothing to pass the Fischer recording over for. In other words, get it!" |