Paavo Järvi's 2009 recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection," features an excellent performance that succeeds in many ways, not least emotionally, but has one drawback that may count against it for some listeners. Most of the time, in this vast work about life, death, and last things, Järvi elicits playing that excites, drama that compels, and expressions that feel spontaneous, and his rapport with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra is real enough that he can get it to play pretty much ...
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Paavo Järvi's 2009 recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection," features an excellent performance that succeeds in many ways, not least emotionally, but has one drawback that may count against it for some listeners. Most of the time, in this vast work about life, death, and last things, Järvi elicits playing that excites, drama that compels, and expressions that feel spontaneous, and his rapport with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra is real enough that he can get it to play pretty much anything he asks. The performances of mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and of soprano Natalie Dessay are utterly beautiful, and the voices of the Orfeón Donostiarra are awe-inspiring in the setting of Klopstock's "Resurrection" Ode. In almost every important way, this performance reveals an honest effort to convey Mahler's eschatological vision, and for a general audience, this will be a perfectly satisfying recording. However, whether it is due to Järvi's direction, to the microphone placement...
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