Wiener Philharmoniker

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Tracks

1. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': I. Allegro maestoso - Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichen Ausdruck

2. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': II. Andante moderato - Sehr gemachlich

3. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': III. In ruhig fliesender Bewegung

4. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': IV. Urlicht - Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht

5. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': V. Im Tempo des Scherrzo - Wild herausfahrend

6. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Maestoso. Sehr zuruckhaltend -

7. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Sehr langsam und gedehnt

8. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Aufersteh'n ja auffersteh'n wirst du : Langsam, Misterioso -

9. Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube : Etwas bewegter

Wiener Philharmoniker - Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Review

"Beg to report safe delivery of a strong, healthy last movement to my Second. Father and child doing as well as can be expected." So ran Mahler's jubilant message on completion of his "Resurrection" Symphony, which after several years' painful gestation had come together in his mind with a sudden flash of inspiration. It had begun as a single-movement funeral rite, and gradually taken shape under the influence of Schubert's music, but the choral conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth was its Grail. Zubin Mehta's 25-year-old recording is a superb addition to the ranks of contending interpretations. It is lighter on its feet than Bernstein's classic version, with all the elements in Mahler's tonal landscape brought out in high relief: by turns lush, austere, grandiose, and intimate. Here is the Vienna Phil at its best, with two incomparable voices on the bridge--Christa Ludwig's steely mezzo and Ileana Cotrubas's soaring soprano. The "Legendary" on the cover is not hype: This is still as good as it gets. --Michael Church

Users's Reviews

Feel free to add your comments about Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

No finer Mahler recording

I have heard the Mahler Symphony #2 many time in performance and on recordings. In my opinion, none equals this fantastic effort by Mehta. It is a revelation from beginning to end. My first experience with the piece was hearing Bruno Walter conduct the New York Philharmonic in a captivating performance long ago. That introduction to this apotheosis of Romantic music pales by comparison. There is a very good reason why this recording has never been out of print. It is simply the best.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2006-01-09

How did Zubin Mehta become Mr. Slick?

(I don't believe in doublng up on the same review, but I am posting this one twice--for Metha's Mahler Fifth and Mahler Second--for the purpose of comparison.)

How did Zubin Mehta move from the highly promising conductor of the Mahler Second heard on Decca with the Vienna Phil. to the veteran hack we hear on the Mahler Fifth from New York? As a student Mehta studied in Vienna, and he fully desrved to lead the Philharmonic when he recorded this "Resurrection," at the height of his populairty in L.A. But from the moment he took over the New York Phil., succeeding the controversial Pierre Boulez, he started on a deline into slick, routine, uninvolved conducting that has few highlights.

His NY Phil. recordings for CBS are essentially forgotten, and with good reason. Listen to this return engagement condcuting the Mahler Fifth, and what do you hear? Impatient, rushed tempi, blatant phrasing that dumbs down Mahler's musical intent, indifference to emotion and inner meaning, apparent ignorance of Mahler style. None of those defects exist in the excellent and idiomatic reading of the Ressurection. The gaudy brass playing in the Fifth sticks out musically like a sore thumb, a far remove from the brilliant and musically satisfying brass on the Vienna recording.

The saddest decline in conducting talent must be Mehta's and Lorin Maazel's, whose superficiality and apprent boredom are equal to his. It's too bad the NY Phil. is burdened with Maazel now--no doubt they are headed into a totally forgettabel era to mirror the one Mehta reigned over thirty years ago.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2005-10-01

Don't get this version...

....Because, despite my rating of four stars you can get a different version of this same recording for a few dollars more that also contains Schmidt's under-rated 4th symphony. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000422P/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_2/104-3933797-2215935)

This is all I have to say, and I hope I've helped some people make a wise decision on which version to buy.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2005-09-19

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Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra