David Geffen
Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra 1
(Seat Q103, $69.50).
Program
Symphony No. 9
in D major (1908-10) by Mahler (1860-1911).
I remember
telling myself that I didn’t have a lot to say about this gargantuan piece
(advertised at 79 minutes, probably lasted 10 minutes longer). Due to family visits, this is more than a
week after the event, so I probably have even less to say about it.
A listing of the
movements gives a hint of how unconventional this composition is: (1) Andante
comodo; (2) Im Tempo eines gemachlichen Landlers, etwas tappisch und sehr derb
(In the tempo of a comfortable Landler, somewhat clumsy and very coarse); (3)
Rondo: Burleske (Allegro assai, sehr trotzig) (Allegro assai, very insolent);
and (4) Adagio (Sehr langsam und noch zuruckhaltend) (Very slow and even
holding back). Other than the third
movement, the music was generally slow and sad; although I got only hints of coarseness
and insolence in the middle movements.
I heard this
piece in 2008, conducted by Lorin Maazel.
That blog entry actually contained a more detailed description of the
music than I remember of this one; I probably took notes then. I also mentioned that the piece lasted about
90 minutes.
However, I felt
a bit differently this time. The most
noticeable difference of this piece is how much less it wanders compared to
many of Mahler’s other symphonies. That
was even more marked in the case of the first movement, rather long at about 30
minutes. I could hear motifs repeated
throughout the movement. Also, I didn’t
find the ending repetitious at all this time; I was straining to listen to the
notes as they slowly petered out, to good effect. The first violins were not playing any notes
towards the end, but all the players kept their bows in the playing position –
except one who evidently didn’t get the memo.
The piece calls
for solo passages from many of the principals, including quite a few by the
concertmaster Huang. Huang certainly
didn’t have an intonation problem, but I can’t quite tell how good he is, yet. Later in the season he will be playing
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but we probably have to miss that concert. Most section principals were at tonight's concert, but many associate principals were missing.
CS, who went
with me, saw a video with Bernstein discussing this symphony. He said the piece reflected the despair
Mahler felt, at many levels. First was
his personal tragedy, he knew he didn’t have long to live because of his heart
condition. Then was his lament that the
traditional symphony form was on its last legs (one would think he contributed
to its demise, but he evidently didn’t think so.) Lastly, the world probably
was in a very agitated state, as the first world war would occur in a couple of
years. Indeed the Playbill describes
this symphony as “filled with intimations of yearning, nostalgia, regret,
despair, isolation, resignation, and even personal solace.”
This was the
first time I got to see Haitink conduct.
When I saw the stool on the conductor podium I was expecting him to walk
out with a cane; he is 87, after all.
Instead, he only needed 30 or so seconds on the stool in between movements. He was quite economical with his gestures,
but was clearly in control. There were
several well-deserved curtain calls.
Bernard Haitink flanked by New York Philharmonic players.
I could find the
New York Times review tucked within an article talking about other performances
of Mahler in New York (the review is titled “A Mahler Mini-Festival in New
York.) Only two, albeit positive,
paragraphs were spent on the performance.
Anne couldn’t
go, so we gave her ticket to CS’s neighbor.
Traffic was quite bad getting into town, so we could only share a
sandwich from the Geffen Hall café before we had to rush into the auditorium.
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