Mahler : Symphonie No. 2 "Resurrection"

Album review

Oehms Classics' SACD release of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection," is a stunning success that Mahler fans and audiophiles will both relish. Led by Markus Stenz, the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln presents this symphony with tremendous power, hyperreal clarity, and compelling expression, and the combined choirs and vocalists add to the emotional impact of this revered work. Considering the high number of recordings of this masterpiece, one might think that interpretations tend to be similar from one to the next and hard to distinguish, but Stenz's recording is a standout for its penetrating vision, concentrated energy, and bold flashes of fire. Stenz builds excitement and tension by keeping the music moving forward, and he avoids the overly sentimental treatment that is sometimes applied to the final choral section, which would have undermined the symphony's cumulative effect. The opening Allegro maestoso is one of the most unflinching on record (note how lovingly Stenz holds onto the climactic dissonance), and the third movement, "In ruhig fleßender Bewegung," is furious enough to sustain the work's momentum into the Finale. Yet along the way, there is the graceful diversion of the Andante moderato and the awe-inspiring solemnity of the fourth movement song, "Urlicht," so the performance touches on all the moods that complete the Second's tumultuous emotional world. The sublime performances of soprano Christiane Oelze and mezzo-soprano Michaela Schuster have personal immediacy, and the five choirs give "Klopstock's Ode" a profoundly moving dimension that verges on the cosmic. This is decidedly one of the best SACDs of 2011 and is highly recommended.
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