RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 2 in C minor Resurrection (1894) [89:05]
Kathleen Battle (soprano)
Christa Ludwig (mezzo)
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker/James Levine
rec. live, Salzburg Festival, 1989. Sung texts not included
ORFEO C 837 112 B [23:28 + 65:37]
It’s a matter of some regret that James Levine and RCA never completed
their Mahler cycle, especially as this conductor is one of the finest Mahlerians
around. Indeed, I’d suggest his recordings of the First and Third Symphonies
- with the LSO and Chicago Symphony respectively - are among the most desirable
in the catalogue. Thankfully, Sony-RCA have reissued the entire set, giving
veterans the opportunity to re-evaluate these performance and new listeners
the chance to discover them. And to complete the picture - well, almost -
we now have this live Resurrection from Salzburg, with the incomparable
Christa Ludwig in ‘Urlicht’.
From the first bars it’s clear this is going to be a tough, no-nonsense
reading, made all the more visceral by the dry, close recording. Don’t
expect the highest fi - editing is a little untidy, with a curious pre-echo
reminiscent of LPs at the very start - but that hardly matters when the performance
is as incisive as this. Levine doesn’t resort to expressive underlining,
preferring instead to press ahead with astonishing clarity and precision.
In many ways his approach reminds me of Jonathan Nott’s taut, propulsive
version - review
- which was one of my picks for 2010. It couldn’t be further from the
self-conscious, ill-conceived posturing of Stenz and Jurowski, two real let-downs
among the recent crop of Mahler 2s.
Despite the relatively narrow soundstage, dynamics are well managed, although
the timps are apt to crack like rifle shots and the cymbals are a tad reticent
at times. But goodness, there’s a drive and passion to the music-making
that brought an early attack of the goose-bumps, something normally reserved
for the symphony’s closing pages. As for the downward figure at the
end of the Allegro it’s on the slow side, but in the context of what’s
gone before it sounds just right. Oddly, the engineers are slow to fade the
audience noise, which continues for quite a while. As usual, the first movement
is contained on a single disc.
The dance rhythms of the Andante are made to bounce and bend in a way that
seems uniquely Viennese, although some listeners might want more schmalz
than Levine allows. And despite the occasional imprecision, the Wiener Philharmoniker
sound crisp and clean, pizzicato strings well articulated, the woodwinds and
harp nicely caught; but, most important, the essential pulse is never lost.
If there’s a downside, it’s that a degree of warmth and charm
is sacrificed in the recording. Still, there’s a lightness of touch
here, a directness of utterance, that’s hard to resist.
As for the strange Scherzo, Mahler’s danse macabre, it’s
spookily done, rhythms winningly inflected and climaxes properly scaled. No
empty rhetoric here, just a firm, unfussy grasp of the music’s architecture
and a clear sense of its ultimate destination. And while that seismic shudder
may sound a touch restrained it has a sense of proportion and rugged purpose.
In that sense Levine’s is a somewhat ‘straight’, almost
old-fashioned reading of this symphony, but that’s the way I like it.
Indeed, it makes a refreshing change from the expressive liberties of, say,
Bernstein and Tennstedt in this work.
We slide rather too quickly into ‘Urlicht’, Christa Ludwig’s
distant star glowing in a vast, inky universe. At this point studio recordings
tend to capture more nuance and loveliness - or an intrusive vibrato - so
this swift rendition of ‘Primal light’ may seem less lustrous
than most. That said, the orchestral supernova that follows is mighty, the
brass and percussion emerging with a rare blend of grace and grandeur. And
what a powerful sense of implacability there is in the build-up to the timp-led
crescendi, what breadth in the passages that ensue. This performance
simply grips me in a way that neither Stenz nor Jurowski does, Levine thrustful
and thrilling at every turn.
The off-stage brass are certainly atmospheric, light vying with darkness in
the prelude to that - very - hushed choral entry. There’s a shiver-inducing,
ethereal quality to their singing that’s intensely moving, Levine coaxing
the orchestra into some of the most radiant playing I’ve heard in ages.
Battle and Ludwig are very well matched, if a little far back, but that simply
adds to the otherworldly character of this unfolding drama. ‘Bereite
dich’ is reverent rather than commanding, Levine gauging climactic strength
to perfection. And even though the organ isn’t very prominent, this
finale blossoms with a light that’s simply blinding.
This is a Resurrection of insight and honesty, eschewing all artifice
and cutting to the very quick of this great symphony. It’s that rare
thing, a genuinely transfiguring performance cast in the mould of Walter,
Ormandy, Kubelik and Klemperer. And in a double centenary that’s yielded
its fair share of disappointments, this recording will revive the spirits
of those for whom it’s been a long and tiring journey.
Surely one of the great Resurrections of our time.
Dan Morgan
Masterwork Index: Mahler's
Resurrection Symphony
Surely one of the great Resurrections of our time.