After critically-acclaimed recordings of Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth Symphony, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic continue their Pentatone Mahler cycle with a rendition of the composer’s Second, nicknamed The Resurrection. Mahler’s Second Symphony is a deeply spiritual and personal contemplation on the secret of life and the possibility of overcoming death. For Bychkov, the symphony “shows the life cycle in all its struggles: suffering, joy, irony, humour, love and doubt.”
Featured as ‘Classical Album of the Week’, The Sunday Times wrote, “After their majestic accounts of the fourth and fifth symphonies, the latter of which was our classical record of the year 2022, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic’s Pentatone Mahler cycle turns to the Resurrection Symphony – and the results are just as enthralling. You marvel at the fresh depth and breadth that Bychkov and his players find within this towering work. The Russian-American conductor doesn’t labour over the funeral march, and in the shattering final movement he draws performances of exquisite balance, control and stillness. This turning out to be one of the truly great Mahler sets.”
Stream and download Mahler Symphony No. 2 now.
Photo credit: Chris Christodoulou
