Cheap Symphony 2 (Music) (G. Mahler) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Symphony 2

Klemperer's best version of Mahler's Second
This performance is more magnificent and dramatic than the Philharmonia recording and has more of an inevitable flow from beginning to end. It is the clearest and most straightforward interpretation that I have heard, yet its beauty brings tears to my eyes. The crisp rhythms are sometimes primal and really hit you in the gut. It is proof that playing the music straight sometimes brings more feeling to a piece than does putting mushy sentimentality into a piece unnecessarily.

---

Sloppy is a nice word for this performance
I'm just completely overwhelmed by how much hype Tony Duggan as well as several other reviewers have given this performance. One reviewer stated that the other recording Klemperer performed with the Philharmonia was "overrehearsed". If that means that it's more "together" then I agree completely. What we have here is completely sloppy and in certain movements such as the 3rd, we have this un-bel-ievab-ly sloooooow drivel coming from our speakers. I have many recordings conducted by Klemperer that I absolutely love but this is a cruel joke. Other recordings that are "performed" in a unified way are Mehta with the Vienna Philharmonic, Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic from the 60's on Sony, and Bruno Walter's account combined with the 1st Symphony on Sony. I just cannot believe how overrated this recording really is. Don't buy it just to hear how bad it is. Just trust me on this one.

---

Very good, but you still need the studio version
This recording gives us almost the same interpretation as Klemperer's masterly studio version with Philharmonia. There are some minor differences, however. The most important is this: this version is somewhat livelier; it has more drama and impetus than the studio take. It deserves to be in every Mahlerite collection.

One perplexing thing is the "O Schmerz" in the finale, where the soloist seems to be backed up by the whole alto section in the choir. There is no reason for making this departure from the score. In addition, there are some - not too many - coughs here and there (- why is it so difficult for some people to JUST SHUT UP during concerts?).

If you hesitate between the studio version and this one, buy both! It's a great live version of Mahler's second symphony, probably the very best as such.