CONCERT: Mahler & more, Berlin Philharmonic / Rattle, RFH 23.2.11

[tamaranth]

Berlin Philharmonic (cond Simon Rattle), Royal Festival Hall, 23rd February 2011
London Symphony Chorus, Anke Hermann, Nathalie Stutzmann
Brahms - "Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang"
Wolf - Elfenlied
Mahler - Symphony #3

Long-awaited concert -- we bought the tickets this time last year -- which did not disappoint.

The Brahms is small and sweet; the Wolf was beautifully played, with fearsome quantities of brass and percussion (including a final, receding martial tattoo) but didn't engage me. I may not have been alone in this; the applause was somewhat half-hearted.

But the Mahler, oh, the Mahler. I am not a fervent Mahler fan, but last night's performance very nearly converted me. The Third Symphony is massive, in decibels / length / complexity / number of movements / size of orchestra / geographical range of orchestra (off-stage post-horn). There's so much texture in it, and so much variety. I was mesmerised by the fourth movement -- Nathalie Stutzmann's voice is fantastically deep and resonant, and Rattle had her back with the woodwind instead of at the front of the stage, reinforcing the sense of voice-as-instrument. The oboe glissandos were an eerie counterfoil. And the final movement felt like spring -- celebratory, joyous, resonant with bells but not religious.

Will look out for more Stutzmann and maybe have another go at getting into Mahler.

Notes on the actual concert: we were sitting near the back of the balcony instead of in our usual seats in the choir (which was Occupied). The sound was very clear and balanced, but I was reminded that there was a capacity audience between me and the orchestra, all apparently suffering from advanced respiratory disease. They did recover sufficiently for a long, mostly-standing ovation, though.

Other reviews:
Telegraph
Guardian
The Independent's isn't up yet.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

That sounds nicely balanced.

[ladymoonray.livejournal.com]

I was hoping you'd understand what I see in Mahler symphonies after that. They're like mini-tours of the universe.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Mahler was always one of my favourite composers too. I also enjoy Brahms.

bellinghwoman isn't a fan of either though - she considers 5th December 1791 to be the day the music died, as far as the classical repertoire is concerned.

[ladymoonray.livejournal.com]

It's weird, but I don't get Brahms. I don't dislike it, I just don't *love* it in the way T does.

I might use this as an example in my social psychology essay, actually. Thank you! Brains are strange things...

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

It's Wagner that I don't get, myself. But that's the whole opera side of things - the actual overtures and the like are fine, I just dislike the arias and those bloody sopranos wittering on.

On the other hand, a good friend at school had at least two complete vinyl Nibelungenlieds, with his personal preference being for Fischer-Dieskau. I tried to like it - one does that when encountering such rampant enthusiasm for something - but just never managed it.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Brahms' symphonies leave me tepid. It's the piano concertos that make me swoon. (Unlike Beethoven, whose symphonies I adore just as much as the piano stuff but in different ways.)