Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 2 in C Minor ‘Resurrection’
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha (soprano)
Hallé Choir, Hallé Youth Choir
Hallé Orchestra/Kahchun Wong
rec. live, 16 January 2025, The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK
German texts & English translations
Hallé CDHLD7568 [2 CDs: 85]

We are awash with great recordings of this monumental symphony, yet here is another, indubitably well played and conducted, in excellent sound. Balances between the orchestra and the offstage instruments are ideal and the entry of the chorus in the finale is wonderfully atmospheric; I commend the engineers on their achievement.

Listening straight through for the first time to this live recording, I found everything to be as it should, with absolutely nothing to object to until the fourth movement, Urlicht, where the beat in Dame Sarah Connolly’s mezzo-soprano and her difficulty in moving smoothly between notes on different dynamic planes become evident. Never the most tonally alluring, her voice is now evincing clear signs of aging, I regret to say. There is something of a pulse, too, in Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha’s soprano and I prefer a more ethereal demeanour, but she has a big, pure sound. Otherwise, this is a grand, leisurely account, especially impressive in the opening of the finale, where the horns are resplendent and the build-up to the March of the Dead, heralded by the sinister rattle on the tam-tam, is electrifying. Wong paces the whole movement quite slowly, lending it a massive, monumental quality. His choir is wholly up to sustaining his slow tempo, singing with exceptionally youthful vibrancy and the grandeur of the conclusion is enhanced by sonorous clang of the “Forever Bells”, pictured in the booklet, on loan from the RLPO for the occasion. The roar from the audience after the final notes have died away confirms their enjoyment and appreciation and provides the first and only evidence that this was a live recording, it being utterly devoid of any extraneous audience noise.

I returned to this recording and immediately newly appreciated both the depth and clarity of the recorded sound and the precision of the orchestral ensemble; Kahchun Wong evidently runs a tight ship. Articulation is neat and crisp; this is an orchestra in which players are listening very carefully to each other. I particularly admire the delicate way, following the strumming of the harps, the climbing string theme creeps in ppp at 6:19, heralding the pastoral central section with its plaintive solo oboe; Wong is very adept in his control of dynamics.

In many ways this is comparable with Santtu-Mathias Rouvali’s 2022 live performance with the Philharmonia (review); both are carefully, thoughtfully controlled while still providing the requisite moments of excitement, are beautifully played and engineered and very satisfying, yet they have different strengths: Wong achieves a greater sense of release at climaxes but Rouvali has superior vocal soloists; both find the lilt and charm of the Andante second movement but Wong’s pacing of the Scherzo is correct, being two minutes slower than Rouvali’s rushed account. As a voice-maven, I cannot say that this Hallé recording leaps to the top of my list of favourites but those less finicky about the singing will find much to enjoy in this impressive performance.

Ralph Moore

Release date: 7 November 2025

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