Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection" / Symphony No. 10 in F sharp minor (incomplete) (2 CD Set)

Brilliantly performed and recorded, this is a real winner. Unlike some Mahlerians, Levi never wallows in sentimentality, and he doesn't slip into understatement. Instead, he organizes what can be a sprawling symphonic edifice with an unerring sense of the long line and flawless, finely graded dynamics and balances, clarifying structure without shortchanging local details and color so vital in Mahler. The Atlanta Symphony sounds here like world-beaters. Aided by state-of-the-art sonics, it has everything you want from a Mahler orchestra: rich, warm strings, virtuosic winds, and forceful brass and percussion. In the huge climaxes of the Finale, their transparency and sheer clout are exciting to hear.

Mary Philips is a moving mezzo soloist, the chorus is outstanding, and the sound of Barbara Bonney's crystalline soprano tones rising above the chorus at her entrance will give you goose bumps. The long, slow Adagio movement from the unfinished Tenth Symphony is on the same exalted level of accomplishment. The strings glow with luminous warmth, and Levi sustains the tension throughout the piece's half-hour. An all-round triumph. --Dan Davis