Chung/Lang/Lee/SPO/DG Mahler Second - My Review

[John Kim]

In the opening funeral movement, the rich and rock solid sound of the orchestra is quite ear-catching. To borrow some critic's word, it is 'beefy', a quality that is hard to find in Asian orchestras. Based on this and previous CD releases that feature Chung/SPO, it is clear that under maestro Chung's leadership the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has grown into a world class ensemble with the unique sonority and high discipleship. 

Chung's reading is, as expected, temporally flexible, texturally rich and precise, his concept of the music grand in scale but minute in details. This is a big, hugely romantic view of Resurrection Symphony where memories of dead man's life are cherished with much sympathy and respect: the opening motif in low strings, which is usually sprung out with great attack, has never sounded warmer. In the development, there is a certain tranquility shimmering and hanging like a ghost. Listen how the horns, trumpets register in the extraordinarily controlled pianissimo. Yet, when the score calls for utmost strength in tutti passages, e.g., the main climax that leads up to the recapitulation, the orchestra explodes with all hands breaking loose. It is to Chung's credit that the final descending chords are undone in a moderate tempo (as per the score) finishing off this 24 min. long epic with poise and exemplary restraint.

The two middle movements are not too far from the norm in tempo and dynamic contrast, providing a nice respite from the burden of the mundane life depicted in the previous movement. In the Urlicht mezzo soprano Petra Lang sings with a voice that is aptly  weighty and spiritual.

The rest of the performance goes even better. The Finale is rendered very broadly clocking nearly 38 min. But Chung fills up the void in this long movement with many fine details. Again, his former experience in the French repertoire must have helped achieve the level of concentration and refinement that are so well on display in this recording. Under his baton, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra literally burnishes, glows, and rocks in the apocalyptic conclusion.

One final Note. If the pure orchestral passage in the final pages sounds somewhat anticlimactic, Chung's slight down-scaling of the dynamics herein is a stroke of genius! As in Klemperer's celebrated EMI recording with Philharmonia Orchestra and Abbado's razor sharp Chicago version on DG, his emphasis seems to be on the main climax, i.e., the chorus & orchestra combined that precedes the orchestra passage. Here, aided by the outstanding singing from the chorus and soloists all of whom sing like Angles, and the finely tuned orchestra, he achieves a state of true exaltation and elevation. Chung's arguments is then, what follows after such an apotheosis should be a 'wrap-up' rather than another 'ramp-up'. He has done just that quite nicely.

The recording sound tops the previous effort in Mahler First with a wide dynamic range and open sound stage that adds to the scale and scope of this mammoth symphony. It was recorded at the acoustically dry and taxing Art House Hall, but led by Michael Fine, the recording producer of the Seoul Philharmonic, the DG engineers have done themselves proud. Alas, the organ is there but rather weak as in most recordings although the low & high tam tam, bell are well audible.

I can't wait for the next installment in the Chung/SPO/DG series!

[barry guerrero]

I agree with John's assessment for the most part. However, I feel that Chung's almost 'impressionistic' treatment of the symphony's ending (after the chorus cuts out) would have worked better if Chung had held the last sustained chord longer than he did, and made a bigger crescendo in the 2nd timpani part as well (only the 2nd timpanist has a crescendo marked in his/her part on the final chord). As it is, there's hardly any crescendo at all - Chung doesn't allow enough time for that to even happen.

I have no problem with Chung's scaling back (or eliminating) the sustained fortissimo tremolos in the strings at the spot where the two tam-tams and three deep bells bong away in sequential order. From a purely musical standpoint, this made it far easier to hear the alternating salvos from the percussion without the players having to the bash the instruments themselves. But the brief final chord just sounds kind of bizarre to me.  I don't really 'get' that.

As for the rest of the symphony, I pretty much fall into John's camp. The first movement is expansive and highly detailed. Chung's slower than normal start to the movement keeps the series of dotted eighth/sixteenth note patterns in the low strings from sounding like triplets - a common problem in many performances. For my taste, at the very end of the movement, Chung judged the tempo for the final descending run in the strings just right - not too fast, but not too slow either.

After a perfectly lovely account of the second movement, Chung takes the scherzo at a pretty fast clip. But the highly detailed playing and careful balances keeps this movement from sounding like a needle skating across the top surface of a record.  The spot where the tempo suddenly slows down and a trio of trumpets begin singing to each other - that spot is outstanding! Chung gets the lower two trumpets to balance the first trumpet - a minor point, for sure,  but something that almost NEVER happens. Thus, the harmonization in the trumpets is far easier to discern. Also, the harps sound far forward and the high strings don't dominate over everything (Mahler really should have reduced the number of violins at that spot). I have only heard this particular passage done nearly as well on the old Mehta/VPO recoridng. Even more importantly, Chung just nails the climax of the movement, with its big promise of even greater things to come in the finale.

I don't know who the mezzo was but she was perfectly fine. For my taste, the brass chorales that answer the vocal soloist could have been a bit less static (I like a little nudge in those pseudo-Protestant sounding chorales).   

The start of the finale was terrific, and much the same could be said about the entire fast march passage. The spot where the deep bells first enter, accompanied by a series of tam-tam smashes (just forte), comes off really well. In addition, Chung makes excellent choices in the subtle gear changes - changes in tempo, that is - along the way. My only small complaint is - and as is SO often the case - the last climax to the long march passage misfires a bit. It's a bit underwhelming in the trombones  and the series of rapid tam-tam smashes doesn't cut through as it really ought to (and rarely ever does). Still, Chung manages to whip up some genuine excitement along the way, and his balances are nearly always exemplary. Throughout the entire performance, the harps are really far forward - something that I really appreciate and is hard to achieve in the bigger Mahler symphonies.

All in all, this is a very well thought out and - at times - highly impassioned performance of the Resurrection symphony. My only real disclaimer has to do with that shortly held final and - it's supposed to be, anyway - sustained chord.

Barry

[John Kim]

Barry,

Thanks for your enthusiastic review.

Yes, although I didn't express my reservation in my review, I thought the same about the last note.

Still, it is a really well thought out reading overall. It will get you thinking, "Wow, this performance is very special."

Best,

John,

P.S. Will you write about Chung's M1st too?

[barry guerrero]

I have no reservations about Chung's M1 at all. It could easily stump for anyone's one and only version in their collection. End of review. Thank you.

That said, however, it's always nice if they would include "Blumine" (as an addendum) and/or the "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen".

[John Kim]

Barry,

About the last note of the Finale, Michael told me

"I could have certainly made the crescendo and made the last note longer ... In the concert, the audience was simply waiting to explode abduction probably would have interrupted the end of the last note. "

So, this was apparently a decision he had to make in order not the audience interruption to get in the way.

John,

[barry guerrero]

OK - I'll buy that. That sort of makes sense. Regardless, the performance still has more than its fair share of great and highly detailed moments.