This week, Esa-Pekka Salonen gives his last performance with the SF Symphony playing the Mahler Second symphony. This symphony has been recorded by so many conductors and orchestras that it’s a rite of passage for conductors. I’m listening now to the Pentatone recording featuring Semyon Bychkov with the Czech Philharmonic, which made a lot of classical charts in 2023. It’s a nice recording in high res, but it’s not as ferociously exciting to me as the old Solti analog vinyl on Decca with Heather Harper. I recall many years ago Mike Fremer savaging a modern digital recording by Simon Rattle with the CBSO that had been praised by Gramophone magazine. In the opening few seconds, as the double basses dig in for the powerful opening theme, Fremer complained that he only heard mush. He then proceeded to pull out the old Solti vinyl recording where each double bass is heard in sharp relief, growling like a bunch of angry bulldogs.
Bychkov takes it slow and leisurely. It’s a Cadillac sedan performance, not a burn-the-tires Porsche sound. As a recording, it’s superior to the old Solti analog vinyl in climaxes. But it’s not hugely moving. We might be back to the famous J. Gordon Holt law: the better the recording, the more boring the performance. But I’m being critical. There’s much to enjoy here. Let’s face it. As was frequently said about Beethoven, perhaps Mahler 2 is a symphony that’s better than it can ever be played. Best to simply sit down with the score and enjoy it. A great symphony by a brilliant composer. I like his songs as much or more than his symphonies, FWIW.
Bychkov takes it slow and leisurely. It’s a Cadillac sedan performance, not a burn-the-tires Porsche sound. As a recording, it’s superior to the old Solti analog vinyl in climaxes. But it’s not hugely moving. We might be back to the famous J. Gordon Holt law: the better the recording, the more boring the performance. But I’m being critical. There’s much to enjoy here. Let’s face it. As was frequently said about Beethoven, perhaps Mahler 2 is a symphony that’s better than it can ever be played. Best to simply sit down with the score and enjoy it. A great symphony by a brilliant composer. I like his songs as much or more than his symphonies, FWIW.
