Over two evenings on 24 and 25 October 2024, the Orchestre National de France, under its music director Cristian Măcelaru, immersed themselves in the extraordinary symphonic epic that Gustav Mahler wrote in the 1890s - his utterly unrestrained Symphony No. 2, the Resurrection. What a baptism of fire.

The Romanian conductor, not known for his Mahler until now, boldly takes up, in Paris, the very same score that the legendary Leonard Bernstein conducted at his first great Parisian triumph on 13 November 1958 - which, as it happens, was also with the Orchestre National.

More than 70 years after Bernstein, Cristian Măcelaru offers a vision that is the complete opposite, with a chamber-like approach of delicacy and pastoral warmth, in contrast to his illustrious predecessor’s grandiose and solemn take. The textures are therefore amazingly light - the magnificent transparency of the strings is answered by woodwinds brimming with freshness, discreetly revealing the roots of a composer born not far from Prague who was passionately drawn to new sonorities and unexpected instrumental blends.

Under the Romanian conductor’s direction, joined here by the luminous soprano of Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and the amber-toned mezzo of Karen Cargill, the passionate journey of the Resurrection becomes one of profound serenity. The architecture of the work remains consistently natural and supple, and the symphony finds its unity effortlessly despite the remarkable diversity of soundscapes of which it is made.