蜜芽传媒

Andrew McGregor presents the climax of Radio 3's day-long celebration of the very best classical recordings of the last 25 years, Record Review of the Century: a complete performance of Mahler's epic Second Symphony, the 'Resurrection Symphony', in the version chosen by Kate Molleson earlier in the day as her favourite of the many recent recordings of the work.

Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is the composer's first to pair orchestral writing with voice and language, a vastly-scaled work about life and death inspired by a hymn read at the funeral of the composer鈥檚 friend and fellow conductor Hans von B眉low. Mahler did not give the symphony the Resurrection subtitle, but the theme was present from the work鈥檚 inception. A 鈥渄eath shriek鈥� triple-forte chord pierces the third movement, and the work features a funeral theme based on the Gregorian Dies irae (Day of Wrath) depicting the Last Judgment. Mahler visualised the ecstatic final movement conclusion as the march of corpses risen from the grave to receive redemption and eternal life.