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SYMPHONY REVIEW Episodic Mahler September 27, 2002
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By J.M. Bailey
Is it the length of a Mahler symphony that causes the problems or is it the apparent disorganization of the material as the composer presents it? The San Francisco Symphony, directed by Michael Tilson Thomas with the Women of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Pacific Boys Choir and San Francisco Girls Chorus, produced a performance last Friday in Davies Hall where the moments were often in themselves magical but seemed disassociated from one another. As a result the shorter movements were far more convincing than the longer, all of which started off well but seemed to lose their way. The inevitable result was that they came across as a series of unconnected events rather than a structured whole.
Part I, the extended first movement of the work, began with great energy for the brass fanfare, followed by the well-contrasted brass chorale and a suitably ominous march. The string interjections which punctuated the march were however more pleasant-sounding than dramatic, and it was at this early point that the movement began to lose momentum. The unlikeliness of the juxtapositions in this movement can create a real sense of wonder, as each event unfolds and brings new experiences to the ear and mind. In this performance, the movement seemed to wander somewhat. A tendency of Tilson Thomas to leave a phrase to find its own way, while he dealt with the entrance of the following phrase, had a detrimental effect. Many phrases seemed to peter out.
The energy was picked up whenever a loud brass entry occurred, and in addition to some fine playing in the woodwinds, the brass were the stars of the movement. The strings, often overwhelmed by the rest of the orchestra, were sometimes seen bowing away valiantly but were scarcely audible. Tilson Thomas did not seem concerned with creating a sense of mystery or magic in this movement, but more with coordinating entries in a rather work-a-day fashion.
The lovely minuet which followed was one of the joys of the evening. The strings opened with a light and whimsical touch which was taken up by other sections. Tilson Thomas allowed just the right amount of freedom in the phrasing, and strings and woodwinds presented wonderful contrast of high brilliant playing, with a warmer, understated sound where appropriate. The third-movement scherzo opened with similar dance-like promise but the grotesque section which followed was really intense only when the brass entered. The famous posthorn solo began with a sense of hushed wonder and continued to hold the attention through the first extended passage with only minor blemishes in the tone. The pitch then dropped just enough that the following entrance of the flutes sounded overly bright. From the second entrance the posthorn became less interesting, the audience noticeably more restless. The final horn/posthorn ensemble gave too strong a sense that the movement was already finished, and the final build-up of the orchestra was heard as an intrusive irrelevance. The fourth movement was a fine example of timbre blending. Contralto Michelle DeYoung sang with monumental presence and sincerity and produced a tone which seemed to come right out of the orchestral color. The orchestra repaid in kind, with the following horn and oboe entries seeming again to be only a slight color shift from within the tone of the contralto. The sensitivity with which the voice and orchestra responded to each other was exquisite. DeYoung's singing never became overblown, and balanced admirably on the thin line between statement and exclamation.
The contrast in mood and color which occured with the bright entrance of the children's choir in the fifth movement was delightful. Both choirs sang well and the blend of voices was excellent: the women's were not too contrasted with the younger voices but had just enough richness to make the distinction clear. In the opening of the final adagio, Tilson Thomas and the string section really attained a sense of mystery and stillness. The SFS string section has an effect of playing very lightly but warmly, without too much vibrato, which held the listeners spellbound through the extended opening of this movement. The oboe solo, emerging from this texture, was glorious. Yet interest was not sustained throughout this long movement despite many fine moments. The section for violas alone was so expressive that it almost seemed to talk to the audience, and the nearly sentimental brass chorale at the end of the movement was played with just enough simplicity to avoid sounding like a Victorian hymn. The bombastic ending was of course highly effective, although it did not quite manage to round off the overall ungainly progress of the performance. The SFS audience, discerning as ever, shuffled when the music seemed to wander and sat up and paid attention when it was compelling. The final reception was very warm, however, with cheers for the soloist, choir directors and outstanding sections of the orchestra. It is surprising that an orchestra and director of this caliber would want to record a performance of this symphony, though pleasant and listenable, that seems to have had so little underlying musical intention.
(J.M. Bailey has studied and taught music in the Universities of Western Australia and Oxford, and is currently in the States pursuing further studies in music performance.)
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Michelle DeYoung