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Orchestra's "Symphony of a Thousand' (2nd re
Tom Purdom
A few kind words for
Mahler's elegant variety show
TOM PURDOM
One of the most unforgettable moments in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony is a passage in which a chorus is accompanied by lovely melodies from the flutes— just the flutes, and nothing else. Mahler may have assembled gigantic forces for his opus, but he rarely uses them to make a big noise. The symphony ends with the orchestra and organ going full blast, complete with fanfares from the balcony brass, but that long climactic section opens with a piccolo solo accompanied by a harp.
The army crowded onto the stage and balconies of the Kimmel Center earlier this month invites adjectives like “monumental” and “overwhelming,” but it would be more accurate to compare the Eighth to an elegant variety show. The center of interest passes among the choruses, soloists and instrumental sections in a steady parade of inventive effects. How many symphonies give us the opportunity to hear four harps sounding as one?
This symphony’s most obvious quality is clarity, not massiveness. In a passage in which the chorus and the tenor soloist sang together, for example, you could still hear every note of concertmaster David Kim’s violin solo. The long instrumental passage in the second half requires delicacy, precision and refinement. The symphony was a triumph for maestro Christoph Eschenbach because he understood its true nature and delivered everything Mahler must have had in mind.
Cut Mahler a break
The symphony’s major weakness is, of course, its text. The words of the second half are a weird mix of a Catholic hymn in praise of the Virgin Mary and a Southern Baptist altar call. The glories of “the eternal feminine that draws us heavenward” are interleaved with the exhortations to repent and be saved that conclude every Southern Baptist service. That’s unfortunate— but Mahler isn’t the only composer who requires a little good-natured tolerance when he strays from standard texts like the Latin Mass. Even Bach had his lapses.
Most of Mahler’s symphonies require big orchestras. Everything in the Western world got bigger in the 19th Century, as people seized the opportunities created by economic and technological development. In the 18th Century, a European city with 100,000 residents was a teeming metropolis. By the end of the 19th Century, cities like London measured their populations in the millions. While populations grew exponentially, the economic resources available per capita doubled every 30 years. The small court orchestras of the Baroque became the great municipal institutions we’re now accustomed to. Mahler experimented with the big orchestra in the same way George Crumb experiments with prepared pianos and other modern composers experiment with new kinds of percussion experiments. The Eighth isn’t as successful as his other experiments, but it’s still a beautiful, unique experience.
Only in Philadelphia
It’s also a wonderful opportunity to show off Philadelphia’s resources. Several other cities in America can field a world-class orchestra and pay for eight soloists of the caliber Eschenbach assembled. But how many can team that orchestra with a professional chorus like the Philadelphia Singers? And flank that chorus with groups as good as the Mendelssohn Club, the Westminster Choir and the American Boychoir? How many cities can fill out their orchestra with the kind of free-lancers Philadelphia can draw on?
Mahler’s Eighth may not be the kind of masterpiece that deserves a hearing every season. But it would make a great showpiece for the city when we celebrate our 350th birthday in 2032.
To read another review by Steve Cohen, click here.
Mahler's elegant variety show
TOM PURDOM
One of the most unforgettable moments in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony is a passage in which a chorus is accompanied by lovely melodies from the flutes— just the flutes, and nothing else. Mahler may have assembled gigantic forces for his opus, but he rarely uses them to make a big noise. The symphony ends with the orchestra and organ going full blast, complete with fanfares from the balcony brass, but that long climactic section opens with a piccolo solo accompanied by a harp.
The army crowded onto the stage and balconies of the Kimmel Center earlier this month invites adjectives like “monumental” and “overwhelming,” but it would be more accurate to compare the Eighth to an elegant variety show. The center of interest passes among the choruses, soloists and instrumental sections in a steady parade of inventive effects. How many symphonies give us the opportunity to hear four harps sounding as one?
This symphony’s most obvious quality is clarity, not massiveness. In a passage in which the chorus and the tenor soloist sang together, for example, you could still hear every note of concertmaster David Kim’s violin solo. The long instrumental passage in the second half requires delicacy, precision and refinement. The symphony was a triumph for maestro Christoph Eschenbach because he understood its true nature and delivered everything Mahler must have had in mind.
Cut Mahler a break
The symphony’s major weakness is, of course, its text. The words of the second half are a weird mix of a Catholic hymn in praise of the Virgin Mary and a Southern Baptist altar call. The glories of “the eternal feminine that draws us heavenward” are interleaved with the exhortations to repent and be saved that conclude every Southern Baptist service. That’s unfortunate— but Mahler isn’t the only composer who requires a little good-natured tolerance when he strays from standard texts like the Latin Mass. Even Bach had his lapses.
Most of Mahler’s symphonies require big orchestras. Everything in the Western world got bigger in the 19th Century, as people seized the opportunities created by economic and technological development. In the 18th Century, a European city with 100,000 residents was a teeming metropolis. By the end of the 19th Century, cities like London measured their populations in the millions. While populations grew exponentially, the economic resources available per capita doubled every 30 years. The small court orchestras of the Baroque became the great municipal institutions we’re now accustomed to. Mahler experimented with the big orchestra in the same way George Crumb experiments with prepared pianos and other modern composers experiment with new kinds of percussion experiments. The Eighth isn’t as successful as his other experiments, but it’s still a beautiful, unique experience.
Only in Philadelphia
It’s also a wonderful opportunity to show off Philadelphia’s resources. Several other cities in America can field a world-class orchestra and pay for eight soloists of the caliber Eschenbach assembled. But how many can team that orchestra with a professional chorus like the Philadelphia Singers? And flank that chorus with groups as good as the Mendelssohn Club, the Westminster Choir and the American Boychoir? How many cities can fill out their orchestra with the kind of free-lancers Philadelphia can draw on?
Mahler’s Eighth may not be the kind of masterpiece that deserves a hearing every season. But it would make a great showpiece for the city when we celebrate our 350th birthday in 2032.
To read another review by Steve Cohen, click here.
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