One powerful symphony for the Season's Opener. The first of the five movements of Mahler's Second Symphony was particularly dramatic throughout its twenty five minutes as it seemed to search for the meaning of life. It might well have been funeral music. Mahler had decreed there be a five minute gap before the much gentler old fashioned dance of the second movement - although Peter Oundjian allowed just a three minute breather, needed as much for the very large orchestra in front of him as for the audience.
The third movement initially portrayed meaningless activity but by its end was noisily troublesome, as if of anguished outcries before moving to a troublesome near silence. Sarah Connolly, the renowned mezzo-soprano, sang a naive and innocent song 'Oh how I'd rather be in heaven!' and later 'My dear God will grant me a light, will light my way into eternal, blessed life!'.
In the style of Beethoven's Ninth, the vast fifth and final movement was choral. It had taken Mahler many years to conceive eventually helped by his attendance at a poignant funeral. It tackled the last judgment and resurrection head on. The chorus joined Valentina Farcas, soprano, in 'Eternal life will be granted by Him who called you!' and later along with Sarah Connolly 'What you have suffered will lead you to God!' With brass players and a timpanist offstage and two on-stage timpanists, the organ and bells added to the one hundred or more in the orchestra and one hundred and thirty five members of the chorus it was 'just phenomenal', to quote Principal Timpanist, Martin Gibson.
I departed the Usher Hall with a clergyman friend; we were both very moved.
Performance: 7.30pm on Friday 2nd Octobert 2015