Seeking recommendation for Mahler 2


I just bought the Gilbert Kaplan/Wiener Philharmoniker SACD version of Mahler's Resurrection. To my ears, the performance and recording are quite uneven. Kaplan repeatedly robs the music of its natural tension and dynamics. It's a plodding performance with no sparkle or life. His own 1988 recording with the LSO was better. And the mix puts chorus in your lap in one phrase and buries it in the next. Soloists are way larger than life at times, and hidden among choral lines at others. The whole project seems over-edited and over-mixed, giving it a tweaked-sounding, unnatural arc. I'm no Mahler scholar, but I'd appreciate recommendations for a great performance and recording of the Resurrection. (Of course, if you love this version, I'd happily send you my copy!)
77jovian

Showing 2 responses by opus88

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the following: Solti/London Symphony (as mentioned by Abysmillard), Klemperer's EMI Philharmonia Orchestra performance, Bernstein's New York Philharmonic reading on Columbia, Bruno Walter's with the same orchestra on the same label as Bernstein or Kubelik's Bavarian Radio account on DG.
Slight correction: Though both the Bernstein and Walter performances were issued originally on the Columbia label (I own the lps), Sony later took control, so you will find both currently on that label.