Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Interpretations of the 2nd Symphony vary quite widely, at least to my listening. I would describe this as a rich reading. I don't mean that it is heavy-handed; far from it both Gergiev and the LSO are in fine form. But the sound throughout is very rich and full (not a bad thing, of course, and indeed very much in keeping with what Mahler wanted). The overall achievement is, I think, superb. Conductor, orchestra, soloists(Elena Mosuc and Zlata Bulycheva)and the choir (LSC) give a performance that I found stunning and immensely satisfying. Quite the most rewarding 2nd I have heard for a long time - and that includes the new BPO recording. The disc also includes the Adagio from Symphony 10.

I must confess to not having heard many recent recordings of this symphony - I've heard the now fairly old Rattle, Klemperer and Solti accounts - but this by Gergiev struck me as a real success. I bought it after hearing the concert on TV and being impressed. The voices are beautiful and perfect and the whole thing is done with delicacy and care and is really alive. OK, it sounds a little Russian but surely now Mahler is no longer to be heard as a niche composer.

Gergiev's Mahler is, on this showing, well-paced, well-phrased and well-played. The climaxes are built with patience and I found none of the crudeness that some find in Gerviev's conducting - quite the opposite. This is classy music making and this record is a bargain. It is a little funny to me to hear Gergiev's Mahler being criticised as episodic and lacking in a sense of the whole (similar to the criticisms that used be levelled at Harnoncourt's Bruckner but no longer, I think). It just means getting used to hearing a loved piece done a little differently. This performance holds together (as well as any of this sprawling work) and seems to me to know where it's going. I didn't find it hard to love but if you do I would still suggest that it is worth the effort.

The good things first: the LSO play wonderfully and the recording is very good though it is the usual "Barbican experience" of what seems to be fairly close miking in order to get over the normally rather congested acousitic of the hall. Also the discs are not very expensive.

And now, I am afraid, the caveats: this disc was put together from several performances and I suspect this might have been the reason why the overall conception of what is, admittedly, a rather long symphony does not seem to fit together. Some of the playing is very exciting and demands a huge amount of concentration from the players. An example of this is the "Grosser Appel" and the moments leading up to the huge climax at this point, whic then burst forth into a very jaunty march. But there are also some rather dull sections of performance where the interpretation seems to be rather generalised: sections of the 2nd movement seeem to me to be lacking in the requisite gentleness, for example. The "Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" scherzo (movement #3) passes by at an immense speed and I am surprised that the orchestra manages as well as it does. The LSO is a truly fine body of players.

I honestly feel that Gergiev is not really "in tune" with Mahlerian sensibilities and does not use a rich enough pallette of sounds to reflect the simplicity, anger, irony, majesty and dread that is to be found in the different parts of this great work.

Also, the Resurrection Symphony could have been fitted onto one disc, though at Amazon price the buyer is not particularly disadvantaged. But the coupling is not likely to make much difference in the decision whether or not to buy this set. Why listen to just one movement of music from the incomplete 10th Symphony when Mahler actually worked extensively onf the Purgatorio (movement #3) as well? And why listen to this when there are many fine completions available on disc such as Mahler: Symphony No.10 by Rattle?

As for alternative Mahler 2 recordings may I suggest Klemperer Sym 2 - Klemperer ? This is not a digital SACD "modern" recording but it is a white-hot interpretation of much depth and sensitivity, reflecting the entire range of Mahler's art in rich and very acceptable sound. If you want an "up to date" SACD then the slightly more expensive Fisher/Budapest Festival Orchestra recording is worth buying as it too is a great interpretation (though the dynamic range on the recording is amazingly wide and difficult to reproduce effectively) Mahler - Symphony No 2.

This current Gergiev recording is probably most valuable to those who went to the concerts and who want a keepsake of the occasion. But either of the recordings just mentioned above will provide a deeper and richer all round experience.