Rattle with Janet Baker
on EMI, Zubin Mehta and Haitink both
on Decca, Klemperer with Schwarzkopf
also on EMI, and a stunning Solti on
Decca - given the abundance of outstanding
recordings of Mahler 2, stiff competition
will indubitably be the bane of any
new version. Yet Slatkin's recording
on Telarc certainly has its own place.
It is dramatic and accomplished, well-paced,
and full of drive. From the very first
note of the excellent and impressive
opening, one is struck by Slatkin’s
exquisite communication of the restless,
nervous energy - a characteristic of
this performance. There are some lovely
touches here - 5-6 minutes into the
first movement, Slatkin creates a wonderful
sense of distance and beauty, and the
light mood of the second movement, influenced
as it is by Austrian folk dance, is
extremely well captured. Slatkin allows
the third movement to flow, and brings
out the driving rhythms energetically.
The opening of the fourth movement is
tear-jerkingly serene and poignant.
Maureen Forrester’s voice is just right
for this music - mature, rich and deep,
although a bit more strength and support
would not go amiss, and at times she
can come across as slightly breathy.
The dramatic eruption that opens the
final movement is effectively explosive,
and Slatkin again depicts the last movement’s
disquietude excellently, in a compelling
performance. The sinister atmosphere
of the off-stage fanfares is also brilliantly
expressed. Needless to say, Slatkin
manages a tremendous end to a monumental
work.
Slatkin seems to excel
in the more stirring sections of this
work, bringing out the climaxes and
dramatic passages most effectively,
and brilliantly encapsulating a sense
of urgency. On the other hand, one felt
that the tender passages were played
in a slightly matter-of-fact way, and
that more poignancy and sweetness is
required. Similarly there could with
advantage have been an increased cultivation
of that bitter-sweet sound of which
Mahler is such a master. Sections that
contain shimmering ethereal strings
could have been slightly enhanced and
more glisteningly incorporeal. Again,
Slatkin could have made better use of
the dramatic pause occasionally, and
the work could have been slightly snappier
in places; sharper and tauter.
The playing of the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is excellent,
and the sound good. Slatkin imbues the
symphony with a good dynamic range -
ones strains to hear the chorus entry
in the last movement; as indeed one
should. This is a steady yet exciting
performance – perhaps not as "great"
a recording as Klemperer’s or Solti’s,
but still one that I can heartily recommend.
Em Marshall
Kathleen Battle (soprano), Maureen Forrester
(contralto) 
