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"Four Stars ... it's always a pleasure to hear warm Concertgebouw horns in noble ensemble ... the woodwind do beautiful things with the second of the heavenly visions in the (first) movement ..." - BBC Music Magazine "... (Jansons) give it urgency, propulsion and tautness of form ... Bernarda Fink is outstanding in the Urlicht ... with Jansons the cataclysms have real clarity: you can hear what's going on without compromising the sense of spontaneous combustion." - Gramophone "The Royal Concertgebouw proves once again what a consummate body it can be when thoroughly engaged. Orchestral playing is immaculately voiced, the soundscape superbly balanced, the work's shape presented in one sweeping arc and steered like a freshly polished, custom-built limousine.” - International Record Review This album, another installment in the RCO's Mahler cycle under chief conductor Mariss Jansons, contains the Second and Third Symphonies, recorded during the 2009 / 2010 season as part of the full, chronological series of performances of Mahler’s symphonies to commemorate the composer's 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of his death. Once again, Jansons stands out in these performances with his astonishingly keen eye for the minutest details, possessing the ability to integrate all this beautiful detailing into the virtually infinite overarching climaxes that can make listening to Mahler’s symphonies such an exciting experience. The material on this album was recorded live in December 2009 at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.