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It's the El Greco Crucifixion painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Here is a link to the smallish online image. The painting in real life is very large.

http://www.clevelandart.org/oci/magn...2/1952.222.jpg

Mark

Just to clarify......the subject matter of Mahler 2nd symphony final movement is not the crucifiction or ressurection of Jesus Christ, it is the final Judgement Day (the apocalypse) when heavens are torn open and all things are revealed, man must account to god for his mortal life.

Michelangelo's Last Judgement (1535-1541) fresco in Sistine chapel is famous depiction of this:
Painting

This is why I always prefer M2s that close with great power and enormous energy, not reverent introspection as some seem to do.

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Right, but I wasn't saying anything about the subject matter as such, I was just talking about the overall emotional feel of certain performances in comparison to a couple of paintings. Perhaps a pointless adventure in the end, I don't know, but kind of fun. Just another attempt at expressing something about music. As they say, writing about music makes as much sense as dancing about architecture. Of course, the funny thing is, every since hearing that quote (I don't remember who said it originally), I've always wanted to see someone attempt a modern dance piece capturing something of the feel of architecture. Difficult, certainly, but maybe not impossible.

M

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"they" was Elvis Costello



though now that I've done a little googling, apparently it's not so clear who the quote can be attributed to.. I've always heard it was Elvis Costello.

-jar

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I always thought the Resurrection symphony was about the reunification of the soul with the Godhead without the implications of Judgement Day. The words are "I am from God and shall return to God" sound more Buddhist than Christian actually. And, despite the drama I really haven't found anything that would lead me to believe that Mahler's vision is one of God rejecting humanity. Michelangelo's God is very definitely sending more souls to hell than permitting them into heaven, and even the Virgin is shrinking back from the press of souls seeking redemption. This vision seems very far from Mahler's vision of the 2nd Symphony, which is very literally about the end of mortal pain and suffering and the immortality of the soul.

Bunny I read some more in a book about Mahler's development of M2 and it is not literally the biblical "judgement day" but more generic/universal similar concept.

While still initially composing/creating M2 Mahler attended funeral of friend and hearing the etherial choir in cathedral loft singing about "rising again" gave him creative vision and inspiration for final movement of what happens to man's soul after death, where does it go, what happens when united with god etc

Part of his ongoing conflict/questioning of the relationship of man to god, and what happens at death etc.

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There's also the priceless quote by Frank Zappa... "Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read."

See ya
Steve

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Yes, I am familiar with those facts, which is why I found your analogy with the Michelangelo Last Judgement so disquieting. That fresco expresses so much anger at humanity, and Michelangelo was very disillusioned by then, the confidence and optimism of his earlier works had by then faded into arrogance, bitterness and more serious, cynical attitudes of his late mature style. I don't think that Mahler had reached that level of disillusionment yet, and it certainly is not reflected in his 2nd Symphony.

I know there aren't too many fans of the Abbado Lucerne Festival recording, but if you are, it is being released on DVD in the US.

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" / Claudio Abbado, Eteri Gvazava, Anna Larsson, Orfeon Donostiarra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra (2005)

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Scott,

Is that the same performance as the cd with Debussy's La Mer? I have that cd and have found it okay but underwhelming. I understand that his SACD release of the M6 is splendid though, and it is on my "buy list."

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It is the same performance that is on the CD coupled with La Mer. I own the DVD and CD. I prefer the DVD because you see how much fun the players and Abbado are having playing this wonderful symphony. Aspects that I find boring or take issue with listening on the CD, I am more forgiving of watching the DVD just because you can see how committed Abbado was to what he wanted. If only all professionals played with this type of enthusiasm all the time. My, the recordings we would get! Also, listening to the DVD in DTS 5.1 is quite a trip, especially the ending. The organ really gets brought out a lot more, which was inexplicably subdued on the DG recording.

SoundsGood,

I've always enjoyed Abbado so I was surprised when I found this recording so indifferent. I know that the brisk tempos really propelled the music, but the more lyrical parts were somewhat lacking in expressiveness as I recall. In fact, I felt that the more tender parts were just glossed over to get you from point a to point b. For Abbado, the tender moments were just ho-hum between the dramatic moments. For me, this has always been a symphony of contrasts and without some really achingly tender moments the rest just becomes filled with a sameness. I also remember wondering if there were an organ at all while listening to the finale!

I've listened again and now feel that the sound quality of the cd is so bad (muffled, distant and in places too thin or too thick) that it really defeats the symphony! I'll try it on dvd and hopefully the enhanced sound clarify the things that the cd seems to make opaque and perhaps lend the more tender interludes more of the aching quality that I've come to love in Mahler.

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Yes, thought the DVD only seems to have the M2 on it. Let me know how that M6 is.

Barbirolli M5 finally in the house!

Symphony #5 Wyn Morris/Symphonica of London (IMP)

I recall Wyn Morris' recordings and enjoying them: Wunderhorn lieder, a fine, and somewhat stately #2, a really gripping #8 (with great sound) and what is still one of my favorite #10s. But the best thing about Morris was his #1 on Pye which used the 1893 version and not the more familiar version. At least its on cd.