Concert Review: Mahler 9 and 5
April 14, David Geffen Hall
Bernard Haitink - New York Philharmonic
Mahler 9
A frail Haitink returned to conduct the NYPO in Mahler 9. This last completed Mahler symphony has always been one of his calling cards. I love his first recording, which received universal praise, and still have vivid memory of his unsurpassed 9th with the Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie a good three decades ago.
As with his performance with the same forces of Mahler 3 two years ago, Haitink directed the orchestra with minimal motions and absolutely no fuss, yet a sparingly used and modest tightening and shaking of the fist could elicit a thunderous response from the orchestra in true climaxes. Haitink mostly just let the orchestra play, and they did so with great character. Haitink rarely highlights, yet I have never heard more details in the score.
Although sometimes one may have wished for a little more sardonic edge, the music could not have unfolded more organically. An important element in this type of artless approach is the contribution of the players. The brass and winds were particularly irreproachable, characterful in solo's and lucid even in the densest passages.
Haitink has aged even more since two years ago. Even the little steps up and down the podium proved laborious. I hope I shall get to hear him again.
April 16, Carnegie Hall
Marin Alsop - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Puts The City - Mahler 5
A new work by prize-winning composer Kevin Puts opened the program. The City was commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Baltimore SO and 125th year of the Carnegie Hall. Alsop made a little speech. The work was three years in the making and the programmatic work unexpectedly "had to consider" the recent riots and aftermath of the Freddie Gray shooting. The music was predictable enough in a post-minimalist way. It was accompanied by a film by Robert Bartolomeo, an unending succession of shots of Baltimore Streets and old photos. I found all of this pedestrian, even tacky. To me, the work was an uninspiring transposition of Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi, not one of his best works and accompanied at its premiere by a boring film too.
In comparison to the NYPO of two days ago, the limitation of the Baltimore Symphony showed rather embarrassingly. Marin Alsop's all-baton manner, though fluid and non-histrionic, also contrasted with Haitink's economy. In Mahler 5, the orchestra had a good, integrated sound, but there were obvious weaknesses. The winds in particular did not project well the Mahlerian swagger. Lower strings were also a little too light to provide a foundation. The upper strings played very precisely and were well molded by Alsop, but they too lacked power in key moments. Overall, there was a lack of transparency in the playing. Alsop's interpretation was fine and straightforward, but the execution, though tidy, was not of the highest caliber.
NYT review
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