Label: EMI CLASSICS
Catalog: 5099964736327
Format: CD Disc: 1
1. I. Allegro Maestoso
Disc: 2
1. II. Andante moderato
2. III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
3. IV. Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
4. V. Im Tempo des Scherzos. Wild herausfahrend
5. Wieder sehr breit
6. Ritardando...Maestoso
7. Wieder zurückaltend
8. Langsam. Misterioso
9. Etwas bewegter
10. Mit Aufschwung aber nicht eilen Wholenote Discoveries - May 2011
Mahler’s Second Symphony has a preeminent significance to Simon Rattle; it was the work that inspired him to become a conductor. Rattle’s interpretation of the work has always been refreshingly distinctive, with an organic plasticity that never descends into mere taffy-pulling. He takes some interpretive risks here, milking the impressive dissonance that heralds the recapitulation in the first movement at a very deliberate, stentorian pace while elsewhere revealing an obsession with details that are seldom heard in lesser interpretations. The Berlin musicians play like gods throughout. Rattle’s well-regarded 1987 EMI recording with the Birmingham SO is still revered for the presence of Arleen Auger and Dame Janet Baker as the vocal soloists. Alas, they don’t make voices like that these days; here the singers are Kate Royal and Magdalena Kožená (Sir Simon’s second wife), the latter quickly becoming a ubiquitous presence in several recent high-profile Mahler recordings. The symphony is spread over two discs, with the first movement alone occupying the first of these. The live performance (mercifully without applause or other audience intrusions) is exceptionally well recorded. Daniel Foley  Price: $29.98 | 
