Maestro Simone Young; image via qso.com.au
An exclusive all-Mahler program is a rare treat from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, presented in association with the Brisbane Festival in the Concert Hall of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. And with two star artists as soprano and conductor respectively, the evening was keenly anticipated.
Brisbane born dramatic soprano, Lisa Gasteen, was welcomed back on the concert hall stage in her home town. Accompanied by distinguished expatriate Maestro, Simone Young, Gasteen presented the five songs of the glorious Rũckert Lieder, some of Mahler’s most ravishing musical gems.
Approaching the work with great sensitivity, Gasteen’s lush and creamy soprano added poignancy and depth to her interpretation of each of the themes of the songs. The opening Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder had just the right level of vocal chiding to represent the composer’s intent, while Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft, a poetic love song with its delicate orchestration, was beautifully phrased with some lingering top notes. The rich, dark textures of her lower register were perfect for the dramatic Um Mitternacht with its despair and emptiness.
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, the withdrawal of an artist from the world to make art, is regarded as possibly Mahler’s greatest single song. It had a mournful truthfulness that resonated with Gasteen’s expressive, lyrical phasing. The final love song, Liebst du um Schönheit, offered some exquisite legato ending on a positive and upbeat note.
Young, whose repertoire extends across the full gamut of epic opera, including Strauss and Wagner, is a Mahler specialist, directing the Rũckert Lieder sympathetically and with intelligence. She was also in top form conducting Mahler’s Symphony No.6 in A Minor. Often referred to as the Tragic, due to its sombre, unrelenting tone, it is a magnificent work, too rarely performed as it requires enormous orchestral resources. And it is on this epic scale that Young is at her best.
From the first bars of the Allegro energico, Young commanded this score with complete control and an intense vitality, driving a brisk tempi and ringing every ounce of musical skill from her players, who played as if their lives depended on it.
The opening movement with its fully scored A major chord gave way to the rhythmic dark march of the timpani, insistently underscoring the ‘hero’ theme of the work. The second lyrical, romantic theme was then introduced with a lightness of touch that showed off the many colours of the orchestration to great effect.
The quirky Scherzo, echoing the themes of the first movement, gave us solid rhythms from the brass and timpani, with the delightful strains of the oboe, woodwind, horns and cow bells ably introducing Mahler’s serene world of the alpine meadow.
The complexity of the Andante moderato was tackled head-on by Young, with marvellous solos from the French horn and flute and some achingly beautiful legato from the violins in particular. The Finale: Sostenuto gave us dark, tragic tones harping back to the rhythms of the opening theme with its rich, dense instrumentation clearly articulated through Young’s strong, distinctive beat.
Young seemed to live and breathe every note, coaxing and driving the orchestra through this complex and many-layered work with a clarity of vision that was a joy to hear as well as watch. This was a crystal-clear interpretation of exhilarating music across all four movements, offering the audience an ability to hear the many layers of Mahler’s distinct score and highlighting some excellent solo playing. One suspects Mahler himself would have been thrilled at the performance.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
Maestro Concert – QSO & Simone Young
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Simone Young
Soprano Lisa Gasteen
QPAC Concert Hall
Saturday 12 September 2015
