Search - Gustav Mahler, John Barbirolli, Janet Baker :: Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection")

The heights

George Grella | Brooklyn | 02/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great performance of the Mahler 2, really exquisite. Exceptionally musical, beautifully played, expertly shaped over the entire course by Sir John, it is expressive without exaggeration throughout. This is especially exemplified by the singing of Dame Janet Baker, her voice comfortably upfront without special highlighting, and sounding more beautiful than I can recall hearing on record.The recording is from a radio broadcast of a concert, the performance was not intended for recording and release. It is in mono, clear and full. There is tape hiss, by necessity, and minimal crowd noise, neither of which are distracting. Testament is a label dedicated to re-issuing recordings of importance made prior to the era of modern stereo recordings. If hi-fi is your fetish, if your primary concern is sound quality, this CD will not please you. If, however, you care about music in general and Mahler in particular, this is absolutely wonderful."

A GOOD MAHLER 2, BUT STUTTGART WAS BETTER

Klingsor Tristan | Suffolk | 09/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good performance of Mahler's 2nd from Barbirolli, despite some dodgy ensemble and the odd cracked note from the Berliners who were not as familiar with Mahler's music in those days as you'd think. (Who was?) The characteristics you'd expect from Barbirolli are all here - the passion, the swooping portamenti from the strings, the sweep of big melodies like the 1st movement's second subject. You get Janet Baker in Urlicht, too, and very fine she is - but so she was on many other recordings of this symphony round that time, not least the Stokowski Prom on BBC Legends.



However, one almost wonders if Barbirolli moderated his performance to accommodate the orchestra's relative unfamiliarity with the work. The very first bars are full of high drama - a very long pause between the eruptions of the basses below the tremolo upper strings that really keeps one on the edge of one's seat. Yet the overall impression of the whole performance is a little underwhelming. Good, but not great.



This is all said in comparison with a much better Barbirolli performance, much better recorded, with Stuttgart forces. This is available on more than one label. The best I've heard is part of an excellent 2-disc concert on EMI's Great Conductors of the 20th Century series. If you want to listen to Barbirolli's Mahler 2 (and you should), that's where to go.

"

One of the Top Mahler 2nds

Klingsor Tristan | 06/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no one definitive Mahler Symphony recording, save the piano rolls of the first movement of the fifth and the last movement of the fourth. Rather than focusing on what is right in Mahler, one usually has to focus on what they like (to an extent). This one with Barbirolli is exceptional. The music is lush and played well, wonderful phrasing, and its not too sluggish as Sir John can at times be, ever so slightly. The soloists are wonderful, as is the glowing finale as a whole. There is only one complaint with this CD - the sound. It's mono, but I have to say, not that bad, to me. I have heard much worse, and for radio, I'd say this wasn't too bad at all. If you immerse yourself enough though, I find it easy to forget the limitations and just enjoy the music. So, 5 stars for music, and 2 and a half for sound - but the music is MUCH more important."