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]

This is, I think, the third release by the Hallé of recordings conducted by their recently appointed Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong. Unlike several colleagues, I haven’t heard their Bruckner Ninth (review) but I was impressed by their account of Britten’s complete score for The Prince of the Pagodas (review). Wong and the orchestra brought Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ symphony to the 2025 BBC Proms, albeit with different soloists. I missed the broadcast of that concert, though I recall reading several admiring reviews of the concert; among those who were impressed was my Seen and Heard colleague, Alexander Verney-Elliott (review). Consequently, I was keen to hear this recording of a performance given earlier in 2025 in the Hallé’s home hall in Manchester.  

As I listened to this performance it was readily apparent that it has a lot going for it. The orchestral playing is very fine indeed: the cellos and basses provide a deep, firm foundation for the overall sound; the upper strings and woodwind are on top form; and the contributions of the horns and brass are superb.  When their turn comes, after waiting for a good hour, the Hallé Choir and Hallé Youth Choir sing really well: their soft singing is marvellously controlled while their full-throated contribution to the symphony’s conclusion is uplifting. The two soloists are excellent – I’ll talk about them a bit more later on. All this musical excellence is conveyed in one of the finest recordings that I’ve heard from this source. Steve Portnoi, who produced and engineered this recording, is the Hallé’s regular collaborator on the technical side of things. As such, he’s highly experienced in recording large forces in the Bridgewater Hall. That experience is evident in spades on this occasion; the sound has impact, excellent definition and a very good sense of left-to-right and front-to-back perspective. All of that technical accompishment is essential if Mahler’s vast symphonic edifice is to make its proper effect on CD.

The performance begins auspiciously with a strong, punchy opening; one registers immediately the keen response and tonal weight of the orchestra. Overall, I think Kahchun Wong handles this long first movement very impressively; he conveys the music’s drama and power successfully. I wondered if perhaps the dreamy and nostalgic passages, the first of which begins at 6:18, were perhaps taken a fraction too slowly but others may not feel the same and, in any case, the sheer beauty of the playing rather disarms criticism. The measured, inexorable build-up to the movement’s conclusion (from 20:13) is very well controlled. In his perceptive booklet essay, the composer David Matthews aptly describes the second movement as “a slow, genial Ländler”. That Ländler is heard three times, with two Trio sections interspersed. I like the way Wong unfolds the Ländler for the first time; the music is nicely paced and neatly played. I’m not quite so convinced second time round; it seems to me that he lingers a bit too much at first, when the cellos are playing their counter-melody. The third appearance of the Ländler – played pizzicato at first – is surprisingly swift and I mention these differing treatments of the Ländler because I feel the material should be rather more consistently paced than is the case here. The end of the movement seems rather too drawn out.

The last three movements, which follow each other more or less without a break, are contained on the second CD. The third movement is well characterised; the playing is pithy and witty. The apocalyptic premonition of the finale (8:19) comes as a brutal interruption, as it should. Sarah Connolly is poised and expressive in ‘Urlicht’. Then the finale explodes, shocking us out of the calm mood of the preceding movement. Mahler’s finale is a vast fresco and if it’s not to be a sprawling series of episodes it needs taut handling by a conductor who consistently knows where the music is going; Kahchun Wong is such a conductor. Earlier, I discussed the many merits of the recorded sound; I deliberately didn’t mention the way the crucial off-stage contributions come across. Steve Portnoi has done an excellent job. The distant horn calls which occur not long after the finale has begun are very successfully placed in the aural picture; indeed, during this finale all Mahler’s spatial effects – including those within the orchestra itself – come off really well. The two percussion crescendi (9:50) are thrillingly realised, throwing open the graves, after which Mahler’s madcap march of the dead proceeds. Wong takes this briskly and this, plus the bright sound of the Hallé trumpets, allied to the tart woodwind colours all combine to make this a properly Gothic experience – the world of the finale of Symphonie fantastique is not far away.

There’s another example of the excellent spatial effects when we hear, from far away, the offstage trumpets and percussion (14:43) before Wong and his players whip up the music frenetically, leading up to the moment when Mahler throws his listeners off the precipice (16:01); this tumultuous passage is thrillingly delivered. The grosse Appell is brought off very well indeed (17:35). Here, the ghostly, distant summons calls us to what? To judgement? To resurrection? As the faraway trumpet beckons, the Hallé’s piccolo and principal flute are left to represent the fluttering birds, the last life on earth; they do so most effectively. The entry of the chorus (20:00) is ideally hushed yet distinct. From their sound rises the gently radiant soprano of Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha. From here on, Mahler gives precedence to the human voice; all the sung contributions, both solo and choral, are excellent. Finally, the chorus makes its big statement, ‘Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n wirst du’; the Hallé singers rise fervently to the occasion. There’s an added frisson to the closing orchestral peroration. For this performance some of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s collection of ‘Forever Bells’, cast in 2019, were transported down the M62 motorway to Manchester. I’m not sure if the full collection of fourteen bells was used – probably not – but the carillon certainly adds an extra something to the mix. The Hallé label don’t normally include applause at the end of their live recordings but on this occasion, they let us hear the start of the huge ovation. I think it would have been perverse not to do so; clearly, the Manchester audience was thrilled by the experience they’d had. 

As you’ll have gathered from my comments, this is a very impressive account of Mahler’s highly theatrical symphony. The players and singers really deliver the goods. Kahchun Wong demonstrably has the measure of the score and galvanises his performers. I noticed that in a short essay in the booklet he recalls “being transfixed by the raw electricity of Tennstedt’s live performances with the London Philharmonic orchestra”. If he was lucky enough to be present for some of those then I’m green with envy. I’m not sure that his performance offers quite the shattering experience of Tennstedt’s remarkable live 1989 recording, but as I said in my review of that recording, it’s a unique experience which will probably divide opinion. Even if Wong doesn’t quite attain the emotional heights of Tennstedt, his performance is still a considerable achievement and I’m very glad that I can add it to the indecently large number of recordings of this symphony in my collection.

John Quinn

Previous reviews: Ralph Moore ~ Michael Cookson

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