OBSERVER: Mahler – MSO
Under the baton of conductor, , the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra gives presence not just to the orchestration of Mahler’s Symphony No 2 (Resurrection) but realises the profound emotional and philosophical journey of this grand composition.
The intense struggle between life and death comes to the fore in the first movement where the thunderous tremolo of the strings portends doom only to be relieved by the lyricism of the strings.
The orchestra captures a sense of nostalgia for lost innocence in the second movement with its more gentle orchestration contrasting with the first movement’s tension.
The third movement is a scherzo insinuating restlessness with the fourth movement, entitled Primal Light, suggesting a philosophical turning point.
The mezzo-soprano, Catriona Morison, captures the moment perfectly, her voice almost ethereal at first. The final movement alludes to apocalyptic chaos and the triumph of redemption.
Mahler uses voices here as well with the MSO chorus, under the direction of Warren Trevelyan-Jones, entering pianissimo evoking the notion of a building revelation. This is confirmed by the soprano voice, Eleanor Lyons, whose clarity suggests transcendence.
This is an epic work. Mahler augmented the orchestration with offstage brass insinuating another world just out of reach. He doubled instrumentation and supplemented the percussion for dramatic effect.
Whilst the work’s ostensibly called ‘Resurrection’ it is perhaps more philosophical looking at notions of transcendence and the ethereal. The subject matter is life after death but one created in the here and now through music.
Presented at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall.
Review by David McLean