Mahler: Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" (Live)

Album review

Daniele Gatti's second release on the RCO label is his first Mahler recording as chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a position he assumed shortly before recording the Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection" in September of 2016. No doubt the enthusiasm and energy of this performance can be traced to the excitement of having a new conductor, but the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has been performing Mahler symphonies for more than a century, and the ensemble is one of the world's leading Mahler orchestras, having recorded a complete cycle under Mariss Jansons, who immediately preceded Gatti as chief conductor. Gatti's take on the "Resurrection" is in keeping with his meticulous, detail-oriented approach to all orchestral music, to render it as faithfully as possible in its historical context and to the letter of the score. While Gatti's interpretation is mainstream and fairly consistent with many other performances, the pacing overall is a bit slower and steadier to allow the music to sound clearly and fully, especially in the softer passages of the choral finale. This audiophile recording is presented on two hybrid SACDs in a deluxe book format, and the care that went into the packaging is reflected in the superior DSD processing and immaculate multichannel recording, which presents this live recording with nearly flawless sound and only the barest trace of audience noises.

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