Seeking recommendation for Mahler 2


I just bought the Gilbert Kaplan/Wiener Philharmoniker SACD version of Mahler's Resurrection. To my ears, the performance and recording are quite uneven. Kaplan repeatedly robs the music of its natural tension and dynamics. It's a plodding performance with no sparkle or life. His own 1988 recording with the LSO was better. And the mix puts chorus in your lap in one phrase and buries it in the next. Soloists are way larger than life at times, and hidden among choral lines at others. The whole project seems over-edited and over-mixed, giving it a tweaked-sounding, unnatural arc. I'm no Mahler scholar, but I'd appreciate recommendations for a great performance and recording of the Resurrection. (Of course, if you love this version, I'd happily send you my copy!)
77jovian

Showing 1 response by rainer

I have more than 50 recordings of Mahler, and of the many Resurrection CDs I like Bruno Walter's 1958 New York Philharmonic recording on Sony (SM2K 64447) best, followed by Otto Klemperer's mid 60 recording with the Philharmonia on EMI. I prefer these two recordings over John Barbirolli's Resurrection with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart (there also is one recording with the Halle Orchestra - avoid that one!) and Bernstein's New York recording. The four mentioned recorings are all 'good Mahler' interpretations of the 'frist generation' of great Mahler interpretations.
Today, Mahler is (re-)viewed slightly different, maybe too intense/dramatic/hip for my taste. Some still are able to transmit the 'mahleresque', which is required for not being lost in his long and interwoven movements. Of the more modern recordings, Fischer (on Channel Classics) has a pretty good understanding of the Resurrection (and the best sound), but I also like Andreas Litton with the Dallas Symphony on Delos, and Yoel Levi with the Atlanta Symphony on Telarc.