Two Mahler Fifth's

How would you like your Mahler 5th?

Even if Mahler's Universe is intrinsically huge, the varied instruments through which we gaze at it swell its size even more. Some attempt (rather improbably) to look at the big picture; others try to excavate the minutest details. Despite the detailed instructions in the scores, readings can sound astonishingly different. Among the canon, the 5th has always been the most problematic, being emotionally more ambiguous (or bipolar) than most others. That doesn't stop it from being the most performed. Here are two performances on consecutive days, presented in chronological order.

February 24, 2020, Geffen Hall
Budapest Festival Orchestra - Ivan Fischer - Gerhild Romberger
All Mahler

I adore the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer and try to hear them as often as I can. The NYC audience love them too and they are yearly staples at Lincoln Center's Great Performers series (in the lousy Geffen Hall). The day before this concert, they played an all-Dvorak program that I wish I could have attended.

German Contralto Gerhild Romberger gave as perfect and sensitive a rendition of Kindertotenlieder as I have heard (on records), ecstatically received by the audience. It shows in these exquisite works, the proper inflection and diction are vitally important (even if you don't know the language, you feel it), an advantage for one native to the language - this is not to disparage her equipment, which is mighty fine, well spun on top and with just enough weight on the bottom, a rarity in contraltos.

Even though I am familiar with this orchestra in concert and on record, I was still astonished by the bigness of this performance of the Fifth Symphony. And it was not at all about punch, or delivering vital blows to impress (like what the CSO does for Solti), rather unabashed sensuality, physicality, even carnality. This would not have been possible were it not for the orchestral sensitivity and virtuosity on offer. Ivan Fischer had gone on record saying that he regards this symphony as Mahler's most Jewish, and perhaps those aspects of the performance reflect that belief.

The way the orchestra was placed and balanced (rather European) is central to its sound. Divided violins, cellos and violas in the center, and (unusually) double basses in the center back, on elevated platforms (the result was excellent, attesting to the ears of the conductor; perhaps the NY Phil should emulate). The sound can be definitely characterized as European, with a dark and solid bass foundation. Winds, brass, and strings were on equal footing - not easily achievable, as really strong and characterful wind players are needed to counter the rest of the orchestra.

As mentioned numerous times before in other reviews, Ivan Fischer has the ability of to bring out many details without hindering forward motion. This is generally true, but here and there I did think I'd have preferred a more straightforward propulsion - the constant "assault" of highlighted details can be tiring to hold on to - the listener has to have as much concentration as the musicians in order to receive what is given. The powerful orchestral sound projection also meant the divided violins, even when they were carrying the tune, were sometimes not as audible as I would like.

For further discussion, I'd like to refer you to the newyorkclassicalreview account of the same concert. I frequently read and cite this site, because the New York Times now has fewer reviews (and limits online free-browsing). Another is, I like to cross-check my views with others and align myself to reading reviews of concerts that I could not attend (like the Dvorak). In general, I have been in agreement with most of the reviews (and comments) of this site, but this time I have some reservations, though I am not at complete odds with the author's views.

Not that I think this was the ultimate performance of the piece. What is! In my following review of the Juilliard Orchestra, I shall detail the numerous disappointments of the performances of this piece that I have heard. Like that reviewer, I was not really carried away by this performance, and had some of the same reservations. However, I do think this performance showed me what I'd like to get more from this piece in performance. To me, this was one of the most illuminating performances of a Mahler symphony that I have heard, and it made me listen hard, not something an ordinary performance can do.

As I was leaving, I overheard someone say: "That was a lot of sound!" That described it well. Unfortunately, a lot of sound just made the lousy Geffen Hall stand out more for its failures. Would that it had taken place in Carnegie Hall!


February 25, 2020, Carnegie Hall
Juilliard Orchestra - David Robertson
Mackey - Mahler

I hesitated to attend this concert after the tumultuous performance of Mahler's 5th by the Budapest Festival Orchestra just a night ago, but curiosity got the better of me. So, how did the student orchestra compare? Not very well, I am afraid.

In contrast to the BFO, the performance of Mahler 5th by the Juilliard Orchestra was more commonplace. This was the first time I heard David Roberston. A little awkward and angular in his movements, he did seem attuned to the score. Surprisingly, the orchestra was seated also in the European way, differing from the BFO in that the double basses were behind the cellos, not in the center.

Sonically, this was a completely different orchestra. Despite the superiority of the acoustics, weaknesses were immediately apparent. Best were the lower brass, including a fearless trumpet (this fellow is destined for stardom!) The horns were tidy but a little characterless. The winds did not gel too well and lacked character and gravitas. The divided upper strings also struggled to be heard. But the most glaring fault to me was a lack of bass line. The cellos, with or without augmentation from the basses, simply lacked power. And so it became a lower brass dominated performance. The trajectory was clear enough, but the execution made it a humdrum performance.

Concert opened with Steven Mackey's Beautiful Passing, a violin concerto, well played by Stephen Kim. Written in an accessible style, it mixed minimalism with some surprising elements (I heard some Vaughn Willaims). Of course, there were lots of percussion, and all players did well.

As I have mentioned at the top, M5 is, for me, difficult to bring off. This blog has few entries, recording only concerts that I have gone to in NYC or Hong Kong. I don't attend concerts that often (grant you, only for big pieces, like Mahler, Bruckner and Strauss), so it amazes me that this concert marked the TENTH (!) M5 I have heard since 2008 (inception of this blog). Too many M5, not enough of the others.

And I have heard the JO play the M5 twice before. Conlon (2008) was lackluster; DePreist (2011) was better but still routine (What is it with the JO? M5 as a test drive?) Lest one thinks better results are guaranteed with professional orchestras, that is simply not so either - witness Baltimore/Alsop (2016), HKPO/Sinaisky (2014), and Boston/Andris Nelsons (2018). Better, but still not memorable, was the recent Cleveland/Wesler-Most (2019). Two of the best M5's that I have heard are: NYPhil/Alan Gilbert (2011); and, amazingly, from a student orchestra, Asian Youth Orchestra/James Judd (2010).

And, lest one thinks the JO cannot play Mahler, that is not so either, witness Gilbert Mahler 9 (2011) and Roberto Abbado's Mahler 1st (2008) that I did not get to write about.