Mahler's 2nd symphony

[Grazioso]

Solti/CSO

[techniquest]

For what it's worth (and please bear in mind this opinion is based on my ears rather than any knowledge of the intricases of musical interpretation), I have found the recordings by less familiar names to be more alive and emotional than the big names. Of these, my own commercially available faves are: Oleg Caetani with the Robert Schumann Philharmonie on ARTS, especially vivid on the dvd pressing; and Leif Segerstam with the Danish National Radio Orchestra on Chandos.

[Haffner]

Overall my favorite. And a great bargain, with the 1st done quite well also.

[dirkronk]

My tastes were fairly well established in analog LP days and haven't changed a great deal since, though my overall appreciation of Mahler has increased greatly. At this point, I have to say that my favorite 2nd is still Klemperer/Philharmonia (the performance is rugged and dramatic, and the original 2-LP set has splendid, beautifully dimensional sonics), but I'm just now returning to this symphony again after an extended hiatus and am auditioning other performances myself. Thus, I'll be watching this thread closely.

Oh, and FWIW, since you don't have a 9th you like yet, either, I'll mention that Walter is my fave in that one. A "just right" performance IMO.

Cheers,

Dirk

[Todd]

Klemperer (w/ Philharmonia)
Bernstein III
MTT

[PerfectWagnerite]

Klemperer (w/ Philharmonia)
Bernstein III
MTT

Which one is Bernstein III? I take it you mean Bernstein I is the SONY, and Bernstein II is the later DG?

[Hector]

Abbado/Lucerne.

Norrington/Stuttgart (no, only joking ). Hey, but seriously, though, it is a contender.

Fischer/Budapest is a tad to smooth for my taste but I will want to hear it again without buying it.

[Iago]

Which one is Bernstein III? I take it you mean Bernstein I is the SONY, and Bernstein II is the later DG?

Bernstein DID record the Mahler 2nd at least three times. 

The first one in 1963 with the NYP (Jennie Tourel,Lucine Amara)
The second with the London Symphony in Eli Cathedral (with Janet Baker and I think Sheila Armstrong) early 70s
The third, again with the NYP in the mid 80s with Christa Ludwig and I don't remember who else.

But his best performances of it (IMO) have never seen the light of a commercial recording. One was done with the NYP (LIVE ON TV) the weekend of the JFK assassination (also with Tourel and Amara). Such emotion, you can't believe. If you want to see it, it still lives at the Museum of Broadcasting in NY or LA.
His other "best" performance of it was at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony in a Koussevitsky Memorial Concert sometime in the 70s or early 80s. Don't remember the soloists.

[bhodges]

The other soloist on the 1980s Bernstein/NYPO DG recording is Barbara Hendricks, and this one is probably my favorite recording of the piece (not by a wide margin, though).



My other favorite is with Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester (with two unusual couplings: Schoenberg's Kol Nidre and Kurtág's Stele) with soloists Cornelia Kallisch and Juliane Banse.  Gielen does a beautiful job, more straightforward than Bernstein.  If only Hänssler had come up with more exciting cover designs, but oh well...



--Bruce

[PerfectWagnerite]

Bernstein DID record the Mahler 2nd at least three times. 

The first one in 1963 with the NYP (Jennie Tourel,Lucine Amara)
The second with the London Symphony in Eli Cathedral (with Janet Baker and I think Sheila Armstrong) early 70s
The third, again with the NYP in the mid 80s with Christa Ludwig and I don't remember who else.

But his best performances of it (IMO) have never seen the light of a commercial recording. One was done with the NYP (LIVE ON TV) the weekend of the JFK assassination (also with Tourel and Amara). Such emotion, you can't believe. If you want to see it, it still lives at the Museum of Broadcasting in NY or LA.
His other "best" performance of it was at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony in a Koussevitsky Memorial Concert sometime in the 70s or early 80s. Don't remember the soloists.

Thanks for the clarification.

[mahlertitan]

--Bruce

thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot this one, the fact is any symphonies conducted by Gielen released by Hanssler Classics is a must have for any Mahler enthusiast.

[bhodges]

thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot this one, the fact is any symphonies conducted by Gielen released by Hanssler Classics is a must have for any Mahler enthusiast.

I've only heard one or two others in his Mahler cycle (and unfortunately can't recall which) but they were excellent, too.  I think he's underrated!

Oh, and one more (speaking of underrated) is Herbert Blomstedt/San Francisco, with soloists Charlotte Hellekant and Ruth Ziesak.  It's a gripping performance and the spectacular Decca recording doesn't hurt, either.

--Bruce

[Renfield]

Well, the Klemperer/Philharmonia one that's already been mentioned would be at the top of my own list.

Truth be told, I haven't heard the Gielen. Interesting how Gielen's cycle seems to pop up all over the place, though. Perhaps I should track it down.

Anyway, among the Mahler Seconds I have heard, and given your requirement of "just right" pacing, I would also recommend the one Hector mentioned: the Ivan Fischer/Budapest Festival Orchestra (Channel Classics) one. It's less "raw" than the Klemperer (and obviously less emotional than the third Bernstein, which I personally find a bit over the top), but it is deceptively suave.

One thing to note about the Fischer, though, is its sensitivity to speaker/headphone quality, mostly because of its dynamic range being huge! I've listened to it in "plain" (hi-fi) speakers, then in my higher-precision headphones and it was worlds apart - even more so than usually.

Oh, and there's also the much-maligned Simon Rattle/CBSO (EMI) one, which has been overrated, but is still a very fine Mahler Second, in my personal opinion: and quite "balanced", in its own way. Still, I'd rank it below the Fischer, both in that department and in general...

[PSmith08]

My top five recommendations:

1. Mehta/WP, 1975 (Decca) and/or Fischer/BFO, 2006 (Channel)
2. Ozawa/Saito Kinen, 2000 (Sony)
3. Klemperer/BRSO, 1965 (EMI)
4. Tilson Thomas/SFSO, 2004 (SFSO)
5. Barbirolli/BP, 1965 (Testament)

Plus a few close contenders:

6. Solti/LSO, 1966 (Decca)
7. Boulez/WP, 2006 (DGG)
8. Kaplan/WP, 2003 (DGG)
9. Slatkin/SLSO, 1988 (Telarc)
10. Barbirolli/BRSO, 1970 (EMI/GC20C)

Really, any of the first four are interchangeable - both for me and in general. Tilson Thomas', while splendid, also benefits from having the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in the "Urlicht." That, alone, propels it to my top five.

[mahlertitan]

My top five recommendations:

1. Mehta/WP, 1975 (Decca) and/or Fischer/BFO, 2006 (Channel)
2. Ozawa/Saito Kinen, 2000 (Sony)
3. Klemperer/BRSO, 1965 (EMI)
4. Tilson Thomas/SFSO, 2004 (SFSO)
5. Barbirolli/BP, 1965 (Testament)

solid list!

[BachQ]

Bernstein on DVD

[Anne]

Bernstein all the way!  Klemperer does not get the "right" lilt out of his players for the dance music like Bernstein does.  After I noticed that detail, there was no going back to Klemperer for me.

[Renfield]

Bernstein on DVD

He has a point. If we do include video recordings, the 70's Bernstein performance with the LSO is amazing.

(It was the LSO, wasn't it? )

[BorisG]

My favorite five, Suitner, Scherchen, Klemperer (BRSO), Haitink (BBCSO, 2006 BBC Proms), Boulez (VPO, 2005 Vienna Festival).

[PSmith08]

My favorite five, Suitner, Scherchen, Klemperer (BRSO), Haitink (BBCSO, 2006 BBC Proms), Boulez (VPO, 2005 Vienna Festival).

That live Vienna Mahler 2nd by Boulez is really something, if you can find it somewhere. It is, as far as I am concerned, better than the DG version.