The search for the extra-musical world in Gustav Mahler’s philosophical and programmatic works will doubtless continue to occupy future generations of music scholars. Today’s music lovers, however, are wholly satisfied with the highly varied interpretations and impressive sound reproduction – which is precisely what Mahler himself wished for his rugged works. For decades Mahler’s dramatic musical masterpieces were misunderstood and scorned as “kapellmeister music”. Luckily interest in his works was revived and all nine symphonies were recorded in the 1960s by the recently deceased conductor Sir Georg Solti. Right up to this very day, his cycle has clearly lost nothing of its aura, its reputation for “never having been surpassed” – how could it otherwise have been so successful for so many years in the light of all the highly competitive, more recent recordings?

After the success of the new pressing of Mahler’s First Symphony (DECCA SXL 6113), it was high time that the Resurrection-Symphony became available on LP once more. And the result is most impressive. One can only hope that the complete Mahler cycle will one day be resurrected in vinyl.