| Xibai's profileNautilusPhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
August 26 Peerless Abbado Returns With Celestial Sounds22 August 2007, Royal Albert Hall, London
Mahler: Symphony No.3
Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano
Trinity Boys' Choir
London Symphony Chorus (Women's Voice)
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Personal Rating: A+
The day started off pretty hectic - my train was cancelled, the tube delayed and an unexpected shower ambushed me as I emerged from Highstreet Kensington station. When I finally arrived there at 5pm, I was already No. 258 in a queue that stretched several hundred meters into Prince Consort Road. Fortunately I was in despite not being early enough to get the best possible view. The atmosphere in the Albert Hall was electrifying. Abbado was greeted with "bravo" even before he picked up the baton. And a few notes into the first movement it was clear that we were in for something special. The sonics of the orchestra had a very refined and intimate feel while being focused and lustrous at the same time. Their pianissimo, with tremendous suspense, was the most beautiful I have ever heard. This unique sound can be attributed to the fact that half of the players are top notch chamber musicians, including such famous names as Natalia Gutman and Sabine Meyer. But the real reason is the man at the helm: Claudio Abbado. I used to dislike his weird and sometimes clumsy conducting style, but now I have come to acknowledge him as a truly great conductor. It is evident that towards his final years in Berlin he had tamed its intense Karajan sound. Now his vision of transforming a big orchestra into a chamber ensemble is fully realised in his hand-picked Lucerne Festival Orchestra - indeed, a super-orcehstra that sent many fellow prommers into hypnotization and had my heart utterly melted.
Every detail of the score was carefully thought of: The off-stage snare drum in the first movement and its novel "shut-the-door" decrescendo was pure magic; so was the conversation between the orchestra and the posthorn solo in the third movement. Even more impressive was Anna Larsson, who in her glorious red dress delivered a most heartbreaking yet poetic account of Nietzsche's texts.
Abbado's interpretation of Mahler was clearly not driven by raw power or sentimenality. Instead it was full of grace and humanity. The epic six-movent piece was so perfectly paced that it flew like a single stream, bringing a profound unity to a score full of abrupt changes. The second movement, sometimes considered an anticlimax, was particularly charming with the string veiling seemingly out of the world. The last movement had a relatively fast tempo but the building-up to the glorious ending was simply spellbinding.
I was so affected that in the end I was hoping for a short pause to reflect on the music. In fact I was so emotionally drained that I just wanted to leave the hall and plough myself deep in thought. I believe many prommers shared my feeling - quite a few people around me restrained from applauding for some time afterwards, just as I did when a concert touches me profoundly. It was a pity that some jumped in too quickly and spoiled what could have been a very spiritual moment. I can tell that the BBC made some efforts to best record the concert as there were no less than 30 microphones in the hall, 16 for the choirs alone. Maybe 40 years later it will be released as a BBC Legend. It already gained a legendary status in my heart! To me it defies any benchmarking or comparison because it is more than just a concert. It is a unique experience that will stay in my memory forever.
Related Blog: Previous Reviews: TrackbacksWeblogs that reference this entry
|
|
|
