About Mahler No.2

   The Second Symphony took another six years(1888-94) to reach final form,its composition largely dictated by the gaps in Mahler's conducting schedule, a problem only too familiar to his American disciple. Bernstein,as Humphrey Burton remarks, turned the "Resurrection" into a "concerto for conductor and orchestra,"first conducting it in September 1947,after which it became one of his calling cards. He made three audio recordings, the Unitel production being made in conjunction with the second of these. After an appearance at the 1973 Edinburgh Festival, Bernstein's chosen forces were reassembled in Ely Cathedral,a building he remembered studying at Harvard but which posed exceptional problems for Burton and his team: "A camera crane collapsed. A bomb scare ruined the dress rehearsal. The soundtrack was invaded by squeaking bats flying high in the magnificent octagon tower and crashing into the film lights. But the performance itself had an epic power that Bernstein never surpassed." Dame Janet Baker is incomparable in Urlicht, with Sheila Armstrong the sould of purity, and lit accordingly, in the finale. On film the setting seems absolutely right. It will be a long Judgment Day if Berstein is in charge but a thrilling one.
                                                                  －摘自DVD说明书
    期待翻译成中文。这是马勒第二我见过的最佳演绎版本。