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

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"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

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Music, Gustav Mahler, Zubin Mehta, Ileana Cotrubas, Christa Ludwig, Wiener Philharmoniker, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Romantic Symphony, Symphonic

Average customer rating:

An attempt at an informed opinon

bad recording

Musically Flawless

No finer Mahler recording

How did Zubin Mehta become Mr. Slick?

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustav Mahler , Zubin Mehta , Ileana Cotrubas , Christa Ludwig , and Wiener Philharmoniker
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mahler: Symphony No. 4

ASIN: B00004TEUZ
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': I. Allegro maestoso - Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichen Ausdruck
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': II. Andante moderato - Sehr gemachlich
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': III. In ruhig fliesender Bewegung
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': IV. Urlicht - Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': V. Im Tempo des Scherrzo - Wild herausfahrend
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Maestoso. Sehr zuruckhaltend -
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Sehr langsam und gedehnt
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Aufersteh'n ja auffersteh'n wirst du : Langsam, Misterioso -
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube : Etwas bewegter

Amazon.com

"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

Customer Reviews:

An attempt at an informed opinon.......2007-03-20

Question: What do my favorite symphony and my favorite soprano have in common?
Answer: They are both on this CD!!

Ok, that said even Ileana Cotrubas can't carry this over the Klemperer/Schwazkopf recording. In my opinion (and this is probably because I was introduced to the other recording first), the tempos on this disc are too fast, and take away from the dramatic buildup that I think Klemperer does better. In the third movement the quicker tempo is nice but in the second section of the fifth movement (track six) the "swinging" of the violins for example doesn't have the same effect. Anyway you really can't go wrong with either recording, and if you think I'm a complete ignoramus, thats ok. I can see that this opinion may not be taken too well by some.

bad recording.......2006-11-11

I received the first recording and in the final movement there was a bad skipping. I notified Amazon and they sent me another recording which had the same problem. I received a credit and Amazon said the recording was evidently a bad one and they would check it out. Thanks Billy Ledet

Musically Flawless.......2006-06-03

So how about that? A Mahler second that actually moves! The result is one of the most exciting readings of all time. It's truly legend.

This is one of the two greatest Mahler seconds. Here Mehta, who can often be an oddly questionable interpreter, lightens the music at just the right level, making it brilliantly unique. Instead of allowing the music to sink into itself, like most imitations of Bernstein's classic reccording.

Music has to move, it has to speak, it has to breathe..

Never has Mahler been so logically accessible and tended for. The experience gained from this recording is greatly edifying, if not spiritual.

Technically however, its not perfect: one thing that makes it somewhat lacking. Sometimes the orchestra is not really synchronized. Precision is sometimes sacrificed for Mehta's ingenious creativity. However, to me these sort of flaws just make the piece more homely and natural.

The Vienna is of course fantastic in sound. Brilliant, but deep and always resonant.

This is some masterpiece material. A truly excellent CD.

No finer Mahler recording.......2006-01-09

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.

How did Zubin Mehta become Mr. Slick?.......2005-10-01

(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 decline into slick, routine, uninvolved conducting that has few highlights to redeem it.

His numerous NY Phil. recordings for CBS are essentially forgotten, and with good reason. Listen to his 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 like a sore thumb, a far remove from the brilliant and musically satisfying brass on the Vienna recording.

The other sad waste of conducting talent must be Lorin Maazel, whose superficiality and apparent boredom are equal to Mehta's. It's too bad the NY Phil. is burdened with Maazel now--no doubt they are headed into a totally forgettable era to mirror the one Mehta reigned over thirty years ago.

Mahler: Symphony No.2/ Schmidt: Symphony No.4

Average customer rating:

A classic recording of Schmidt's masterpiece
Movement 1 is on disc one -the rest are on disc 2
A Sonic Spectacular
impressive
This is the one!

Mahler: Symphony No.2/ Schmidt: Symphony No.4

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000422P
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

Symphony No.4 In C Major: Allegro molto moderato
Symphony No.4 In C Major: Adagio
Symphony No.4 In C Major: Molto vivace
Symphony No.4 In C Major: Allegro molto moderato
Symphony No.2 In C Minor: I. Allegro maestoso

Tracks:

Symphony No.2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': II. Andante moderato
Symphony No.2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
Symphony No.2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': IV. 'Urlicht': Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
Symphony No.2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': V. Wild herausfahrend - Langsam - Allegro energico - Langsam - Piu mosso

Amazon.com

Throughout his career, Mehta has made a specialty of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, and he gives a blazing account of it in his 1975 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. The ascent from funereal terror in the first movement to the summit of bliss in the finale is confidently guided, the impact of Mahler's visionary conception fully realized. London/Decca's remastered analog recording offers sweeping, wide-range sonics to match the musical vistas. The coupling is perhaps the finest account of Franz Schmidt's Fourth Symphony ever recorded, and by itself worth the price of this set. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A classic recording of Schmidt's masterpiece.......2007-03-11

Zubin Metha made this recording of Franz Schmidt's fourth symphony - which is his masterpiece - in 1971, at a time when Schmidt was more or less forgotten. To some extent, he's still a pretty much unknown late romantic composer, even if Franz Welser-Möst recently has tried hard to prepare for his revival. It is also Welser-Möst's 1994 recording, now available as a bargain EMI disc, that is the primary rival to Metha's. Welser-Möst's recording is very fine and cheap, but Metha's is clearly the one to have. Here are the reasons.

First, this recording was made with Vienna Philharmonic during the successful time Metha had with this stunning orchestra in the early seventies. A few years later (1975), he made his famous recording of Mahler's second symphony with the same orchestra, which is its coupling in this twofer. (The latter is however also available as a single CD, in the Decca legend series.)

Second, Metha's recording is a classic, which provides us with a sense of discovery. The orchestra covers new ground, and they play this tragic, solemn masterpiece with great enthusiasm and sober passion.

Third, the recording quality is exceptional for its age. It is as good as on the later Mahler recording. I prefer its refined, warm, and detailed analogue sound to Welser-Möst's all-digital recording, which is a bit chilly. But its fine sound may of course also depend on the excellent acoustics of the Sofiensaal in Vienna.

One can only hope that Decca will release this exceptional interpretation again, in a new remaster, since it is a legendary performance. But if you'll find a copy, grab it now. Schmidt's fourth symphony is a great, moving, and memorable romantic work, and this is the very best interpretation.

Movement 1 is on disc one -the rest are on disc 2.......2006-11-22

Just thought that should be brought to your attention. You must change CDs after the first movement.

A Sonic Spectacular.......2004-08-01

The quality of the music-making here, especially the glorious Schmidt, is first-rate. What is really surprising, though, is the recorded sound of the Mahler. While the last few pages of the Symphony in most recordings overload, lose detail, or close in around the listener, the sound in this one maintains clarity, force, and focus until the end. On headphones it seems as though the hall opens out farther with each increase in dynamics to create a breathtaking panorama. It is an extraordinary sonic experience!

impressive.......2000-02-19

Mehta has had a lot of bad press over his ability as a conductor but in this instance he silences all his critics. From the beginning he engages with the music and brings out the architectonic qualities of the piece. Christa Ludwig in 'Ulricht' is very moving. The opening notes must rank as some of the most calmly profound in all 19th century music. This symphony stands on the turn of the century. Rattle (EMI) shows Mahler looking into the 20th century but Mehta's performance can be seen also as a summing up of the 19th. Paying homage to Beethoven and Wagner but also anticpating Strauss and Schoenberg. And for the money it is a great bargain.

This is the one!.......1999-08-16

For those interested in a superb recording of Mahler's Second Symphony, you need look no further than right here. This performance won my vote years ago when it appeared on LP, and the digital transfer to CD is just as appealing. Mehta and the VPO negotiate this emotional roller coaster in a way few have been able to match, and the finale is truly something to behold. Nicely coupled with a less familiar but intriguing work by Schmidt. Kudos all the way around!

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