COMPOSERS: Mahler/Schmidt
LABELS: Decca
WORKS: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 4
PERFORMER: Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) Christa Ludwig (contralto)Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna PO/Zubin Mehta
CATALOGUE NO: 440 615-2 ADD (1975/72)
Interests collide in this curious ‘Double Decca’. Mehta’s Resurrection is a direct way in for first-time Mahlerians – firmly paced (except in the Scherzo) and handsomely upholstered, with suitable gravitas from Ludwig; Schmidt’s last symphony is, frankly, for connoisseurs. Austerely Romantic and perfectly formed, this 1933 elegy seems to touch the hearts of the Viennese players as well as the (usually) effect-conscious Mehta; he has done nothing finer. Worth the price of the discs alone, though there’s much to enjoy in the Mahler. David Nice
Mahler/Schmidt
Interests collide in this curious ‘Double Decca’. Mehta’s Resurrection is a direct way in for first-time Mahlerians – firmly paced (except in the Scherzo) and handsomely upholstered, with suitable gravitas from Ludwig; Schmidt’s last symphony is, frankly, for connoisseurs. Austerely Romantic and perfectly formed, this 1933 elegy seems to touch the hearts of the Viennese players as well as the (usually) effect-conscious Mehta; he has done nothing finer. Worth the price of the discs alone, though there’s much to enjoy in the Mahler. David Nice
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm
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