OMM’s Mahler 2 in Review
Our reviewer Christopher attended the Orchestra of the Music Maker’s Mahler 2 and offers his opinion:
Conductor : Chan Tze Law
Orchestra of the Music Makers
Queensland Festival Chorus (Chorus master: Alison Rogers)
Singapore Festival Chorus (Choral master: Nelson Kwei)
Programme:
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto no 1 in G minor (Violinist: See Ian Ike)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony no 2 in C minor (Soprano: Jeong Ae Ree, Mezzo-sopreano: Rebecca Chellappah)
This is a night of high romanticism, featuring two Germanic romantic works. Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto is a well-known piece; soloist See Ian Ike chose a virtuosic approach rather than a romantic approach. He has great command of the instrument. He chose to stun the audience with his clean, bright tone with narrow-vibrato, accurate tempo and precise-pitching, rather than touching the listeners with warm, lush, melancholic sound. Audiences will not forget his precise double stopping, although despite his frequent use of full-bowing, his sound cannot be said to be warm as he used rubato and portamento sparingly.
Any performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is always an event that attracts attention, partly because of its sheer length and its complex orchestration. People tend to forgive any short-comings as it is no mean feat just to get the piece in shape. The mammoth structure is also demanding on the conductor.
This performance had an unsteady start in the first movement (Allegro maestoso); while all the major portions are well rehearsed, the structure of the entire movement failed to emerge from the details of each segment. To begin with, the first movement has a complicated sonata form that theorists often argued about (whether there is one or two expositions, and for the second exposition, or a large development section (or two), or some combination thereof). This movement passes through a number of different moods, each calling for details in orchestra texture. We can appreciate the effort of the conductor trying to present as many details in these orchestral textures as possible, but sadly, the entire structure seems lost.
In the second movement, what is lacking is that Viennese gemuetlich, that delicate Laendler mood that depicts the joyful times in the life of the deceased.
However, the subsequent movements just get better and better. It became a fireworks display for the orchestra as well as the conductor. Here the hard work of the conductor paid off, making good use of Mahler’s writing for off-stage brass, percussion and choir (for the last movement), and the audience are simply absorbed by their music-making. The forth movement displayed a sensual Rebecca Chellappah, who sang the Urlicht movement with a voice that illustrates that longing for relief from worldly woes.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for soprano Jeong Ae Ree, for while she had a very secure technique and her voice did float above the chorus at times, her vocal timbre did not stand out from the choir well.
The audience will not forget the brilliant brass, the glorious sound of the huge trumpet section and the pensive trombone quartet. They are very well-performed, especially considering that the players had to multitask by waltzing on-and-off-stage to play the off-stage parts as well. The audience will also not forget the clean and neat performance of the combined choir, well rehearsed with clear diction and well-coordinated work.
With such an impressive performance, I am a little surprised that the audience did not give a standing ovation at the end. I am delighted to see a non-professional orchestra rise to achieve such an excellent standard of playing tonght.