Zander's Magnificent Mahler Second

Benjamin Zander's Mahlerian credential was formed here years ago when he led the MPO in some unforgettable performances of Mahler's Ninth Symphony. As usual, he prefaced the concert of Mahler's Second on 21 March 2015 with a most informative talk on the symphony. It was a well-attended talk, with the audience half filling the stalls to hear his interpretation of what the various musical strands meant in the Mahler Second. He often sang and played snippets of the various thematic ideas on an electronic keyboard. It was an inspired 45-minute talk that ended at 8.15pm and it left Zander little time to get changed for his 8.30pm concert.

The lower strings attacked the opening unison of the symphony with gusto and panache. However, the ensemble was a touch shaky to start with, belying the 18 hours of rehearsals spent on the practice pre-concert. The principal oboist for the night was the HKPO's Ruth Bull. She had some unsteady moments of tone and intonation. Musically, the MPO and Zander were steadier as the movement wore on. The lyrical interludes were played with loving care and rubato, whilst the more fiery episodes were suitably animated.

Maestro Zander took his time after the first movement and tried to leave a 5-minute performance gap before the next movement commenced. The second movement Ländler was delightful in its echt-Viennese charm and played with a lot of "Gemütlichkeit". The MPO and Zander portrayed the following scherzo and third movement's rustic mood and acerbic character well and reflected St Anthony of Padua preaching to the fishes. Contralto Claudia Huckle brought a beautiful simplicity to the fourth movement's "Urlicht" and sang it with a lovely tone and narrow vibrato. Her diction was precise and her lovely round tone reflected an otherworldly innocence.

The epic and long final fifth movement is sprawling and scenic. In Zander's interpretation, the episodic nature of the movement never sounded that way. The various sections seemed to cohere and flow into the next part organically. Off-stage brass interjections were clearly heard but the chorus (Dithyrambic Singers and the USCI University Chorale) was aptly hushed in their choral entry. The whole movement was mesmerizing in its intensity and Zander, Huckle, soprano Aga Mikolaj, the organ and the enlarged MPO delivered the final towering peroration with shattering strength and grandeur. A magnificent Mahler Second performance indeed.