Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection'

"A major plus nonetheless is the Halles stellar orchestral playing, with solo and choral singing to match; while Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha's soprano part is not large, she has a memorable way of rising to and conveying the musical moment." Malcolm Hayes, BBC Music Magazine 

"Kahchun Wong had conducted Mahler’s Second Symphony on just a single ccasion before he recorded it in concert with the Halle, in January 2025. Hearing them together in the same work at the BBC Proms in August. His account struck me as the work of an experienced Mahlerian, from one who had thought about the work’s challenged, and come up with solutions of his own that fully respect the score... At least partly thanks to the work of their previous director Sir Mark Elder, the halle musicians have recovered a natural-sounding portameno that Wong uses to shape the Andante beyond its standard neoclassical framework. ‘I also work in Japan with a really wonderful orchestra, the Tokyo Philhramonic. It’s almost impossible for my partners in Japan to do a glissando the way the halle does. This orchestra is approaching 170 years of history. Robbie is young, but he plays with the soul of an old Romantic master. Nut Sarah (Ewins), who sits beside Robbie, has been with the Halle for years. I can sometimes hear the history in this orchestra – when they play with slides in a way that can’t be coached.’ Gramophone 

"As I listened to this performance it was readily apparent that it has a lot going for it. The orchestral playing is very fine indeed: the cellos and basses provide a deep, firm foundation for the overall sound; the upper strings and woodwind are on top form; and the contributions of the horns and brass are superb. When their turn comes, after waiting for a good hour, the Hallé Choir and Hallé Youth Choir sing really well: their soft singing is marvellously controlled while their full-throated contribution to the symphony’s conclusion is uplifting. The two soloists are excellent – I’ll talk about them a bit more later on. All this musical excellence is conveyed in one of the finest recordings that I’ve heard from this source. Steve Portnoi, who produced and engineered this recording, is the Hallé’s regular collaborator on the technical side of things. As such, he’s highly experienced in recording large forces in the Bridgewater Hall. That experience is evident in spades on this occasion; the sound has impact, excellent definition and a very good sense of left-to-right and front-to-back perspective. All of that technical accompishment is essential if Mahler’s vast symphonic edifice is to make its proper effect on CD…

As you’ll have gathered from my comments, this is a very impressive account of Mahler’s highly theatrical symphony. The players and singers really deliver the goods. Kahchun Wong demonstrably has the measure of the score and galvanises his performers." © John Quinn, MusicWeb International, 2026 

"At the podium, Kahchun Wong animates the Hallé Orchestra to play beautifully, flexibly and concentrated. Wong knows how to distinguish the various moods of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony well from each other, elicits sometimes quite gloomy colors from the musicians, but on the other hand also comes up with light and supple sounds that seem quite grotesque, especially in the third movement. The dynamic gradations between the individual orchestral parts are carried out with pinpoint accuracy. The conductor is also attentive to beautiful detail work. In the "Urlicht", intoned very intimately and solemnly by Sarah Connolly, he takes the orchestra back strongly and relies on a very emotional accompaniment of the singer.
Wong's interpretation of the scherzo breathes a lot of cheerfulness. Wit and drama are very close together here and are excellently explored by the conductor. The Ländler in the second set, who also has slight tempo shifts here, succeeds a bit too neutrally. Wong develops the finale entirely out of silence. Where other conductors rely on great intensifications, he remains calm. The choir is terrific here. The soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha sings splendidly in line. At her side is Sarah Connolly again.
Overall, Wong comes up with a clear, transparent sound. On the other hand, he clearly rejects any kind of pathos in his interpretation of the score. But a little more pathos would have been nice in this work. Apparently Wong wants to stand out from the legendary achievements of older interpreters of Mahler's 2nd Symphony such as Klemperer and Bernstein and focus on a new perspective that is more analytical than romantic in nature. Anyone who likes this conducting style will be satisfied with the recording. Overall, the purchase of the CD can be recommended." Ludwig Steinbach, das Orchestra