Search - Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter, Rosette Anday :: Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

1948 Performance by Bruno Walter of Mahler's 2nd Symphony

Bob D'Augustine | Glassboro, NJ | 01/02/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The good thing about this recording of Mahler's 2nd Symphony is that it captures an interesting performance conducted by one of Mahler's greatest interpreters, Bruno Walter. Walter was of course a pupil and protégé of the composer as well as a witness to Mahler's conducting. So recordings of Mahler works by Walter are always special. The highlights of this particular performance include the way that Walter conveys the rambunctious spirit of the scherzo and the odd, almost sassy lilt that Walter brings to the beginning of the "Onward Christian Soldiers" section of the fifth movement. One has to wonder, though, how Mahler would have felt about the latter aspect of this performance. While Mahler often expressed irony in sections of his works, the sarcasm Walter conveys here may not be quite consonant with the composer's sincerely reverent intentions as he depicted the resurrection that he believed will come at the end of the world. Still, Walter's irreverent approach captures and focuses the interest and attention of the listener in a way that is quite constructive.



Nevertheless, this recording cannot receive top marks because of several problems. First, there is an unusually high frequency of fluffed notes by trumpet and horn players, even for a live recording. Second, the tonality of the section where the chorus enters in the fifth movement is a bit flat - perhaps because of damage or stretching of the original master tape. Finally, one performance element really bothered me. When the mezzo-soprano begins singing the Urlicht ("Primal Light") section in the fourth movement, she swoops upward to find the right pitch for each of the first three words, "O Roschen rot" ("Oh red rose"). One has the impression that she's imitating the singing style of Bing Crosby - which is both startling and disconcerting!



So, while there is much that is interesting in this 1948 performance of a magnificent Mahler work, other recordings - including a couple that are also by Walter - would be better choices.



The companion recording - Mahler's 1st Symphony - dates from 1939. The performance is quite good; but the sound quality is about what one would expect from a recording of this vintage.

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