Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection" (Live)

Chronique

Overlapping Mariss Jansons' Mahler cycle with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on RCO Live, his second cycle with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for BR Klassik has already been quite impressive, yielding fine performances of the Symphony No. 9 in D major and the Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor that promise many good things to come. The promise is certainly kept with this 2018 single-CD release of the Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection," a composite recording taken from live performances at the Munich Philharmonie, May 13-15, 2011. Jansons rises to the occasion with a dynamic and compelling interpretation that is full of mortal trepidation and heavenly transcendence, yet he is scrupulously attentive to small details in the score and makes every note clearly audible. Nowhere is this more evident and exciting than in the third movement, In ruhig fließender Bewegung, where the collage-like textures and mix of ecstasy and terror create a microcosm of the symphony's larger, expressive "world." While many other conductors strive for Mahler's calculated effects but sometimes lose them in the effort to create a powerful, cumulative impact, Jansons is meticulous enough to draw attention to nuances, and lets the inner parts shine through, inviting the listener to pay close attention to all of the layers in Mahler's orchestration. BR Klassik's digital reproduction is clean, deep, and virtually free of the extraneous noises that sometimes bedeviled the RCO's multichannel recordings, so the trade-off is worth it.

© TiVo