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]
Singaporean Kahchun Wong, now principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Hallé, made an ambitious choice in his inaugural year to perform Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 2 in C minor ‘Resurrection’. This recording derives from the sold-out concert and rehearsal in the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
Mahler started work on the ‘Resurrection’ while still finishing his First Symphony in 1888. He was still establishing a name for himself as a conductor and composing in his spare time. Through changes in his circumstances and several setbacks, he laboured on with the score mainly during his summer vacations before ceasing work then returning to it in 1893, completing the score the following year and conducting the world premiere with the Berlin Philharmonic in December 1895 in Berlin. It is scored for the unusual combination of soprano and contralto soloists, large mixed choruses and orchestra.
The first Allegro maestoso movement under Wong is strikingly bold and urgent, but also communicating the funereal character of the music. In the slow final section, the Hallé’s playing is as gloriously affecting as I have heard, creating a curious, mysterious quality, the emotional turmoil of the music enfolding the listener. The Andante moderato, admirably realised by the Hallé, provides a stark contrast to that opening movement; it cheerful, calming Ländler quality disturbed only by a pair of robustly agitated sections with prominent brass and timpani.
The third movement Scherzo swirls with striking reserves of nervous energy and colourful, abrupt bursts of elation. The change of gear at 8:40 to the shattering climax that Mahler referred to as both a ‘cry of despair’ and a ‘death shriek’ is splendidly achieved and the woodwind and trumpet contributions are winningly effective, standing out clearly. Short at just over five minutes, the fourth movement Urlicht (Primal Light), from the Des Knaben Wunderhorn collection of folk poems, expresses a yearning desire for some respite from world weariness. Alto Sarah Connolly confers a pious, prayerful quality on the text.
The massive fifth movement concludes the symphony, opening with the nerve-racking scream known as the ‘Death Cry’. As the movement is long at almost thirty-five minutes, I find dividing it into two parts improves understanding of it: Part One, described as ‘One Calling in the Wilderness’ contains several themes and motifs, evoking musical tableaux, travelling through vast spaces. The Hallé brings great concentration to it, mindful of the great drama to come. Part Two, the ‘Great Roll Call’ begins at 17:35 with off-stage horn calls and evocative bird calls. At 19:59 the wonderful Hallé choruses enter with the words Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n wirst du (Rise again, yes rise again you will). The impressive South African soprano Masabane Rangwanasha joins the chorus with Unsterblich Leben (Immortal life), drawing the listener into the heart of the music. Sarah Connolly then makes her valuable contribution, clearly relishing the text O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube (Have faith, my heart, have faith). The Hallé choruses and the two soloists combine for the words O Schmerz! Du Alldurchdringer! (O sorrow! All pervading sorrow!) with compelling results. Rangwanasha and Connolly may not be everyone’s choice here, but they provide effective vocal character combined with a sincere concern for the meaning of the text. Under Wong, the assembled forces of the Hallé, incorporating organ and percussion battery coalesce magnificently in Mahler’s final climax, one of the most epic in all orchestral and choral music.
Wong’s choice of dynamic and tempi is judicious throughout and Hallé responds magnificently to his direction. Recording the huge orchestra, choruses and offstage instruments live in the Bridgewater Hall must have been challenging, but engineer Steve Portnoi and his team have provided high quality sound. Apart from the loud cheering at the conclusion, there is virtually no extraneous noise. The accompanying booklet contains an article giving Wong’s view on Mahler, programme notes from 2010 by David Matthews and the sung texts with English translations.
The ‘Resurrection’ Symphony is very well represented on record with many excellent recordings to choose from. My favourite is the inspiring 1995 account from the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Bernard Haitink with Charlotte Margiono, Jard van Nes and the Dresden choruses in the Semperoper, Dresden (review) on Hanssler Profil, recorded live at the annual Dresden memorial concert to commemorate the anniversary of the horrific World War Two air raids that destroyed the city. Another exciting account is Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic and The Westminster Choir with soloists Barbara Hendricks and Christa Ludwig, recorded live in 1987 in Avery Fisher Hall, NYC, on Deutsche Grammophon.
This is an outstanding performance that can be ranked with the finest recordings of the ‘Resurrection’.
Michael Cookson
Other reviews: Ralph Moore (October 2025) John Quinn (January 2026)
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