This is the most imposing performance of this symphony currently available. The tempos are rather slow, but Leonard Bernstein sustains the music's tension superbly, and the climaxes are every bit as overwhelming as they must be to justify the time he takes getting there. The concerts from which this recording derives were among the musical events of a lifetime, and much of that sense of occasion has found its way onto this disc. If you want to be blown away by music, then this LP is for you.
Bernstein's second Mahler cycle recorded for Deutsche Grammophon involved recordings by orchestras closely linked to Mahler's compositional and conductorial output, including the New York Philharmonic. Mahler himself conducted the New York Philharmonic during a brief tenure between 1909 and his death in 1911.
Although there are many similarities between the first and second cycles, Bernstein's later conducting style is often slower and more heavily expressive than his more youthful approach in the 1960s.
Musicians:
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Barbara Hendricks
Christa Ludwig
The Westminster Choir
Selections:
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
Symphony No. 2
Disc 1
Allegro maestoso (Totenfeier)
Andante moderato
(Scherzo) In ruhig fieBender Bewegung
Disc 2
Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
Im Tempo des Scherzos
(Fortsetzung / conclusion / conclusione)