Classical music review: Oregon Symphony's performance of ...

In a conversation between two of the titans of symphonic composition a century ago, Jean Sibelius told Gustav Mahler he admired a symphony's strict thematic logic. "No," Mahler replied, "a symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything."

Oregon Symphony

When: 8 tonight

Where: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

Everything takes a long time to embrace, and as the Oregon Symphony's performance of Symphony No. 6 Saturday night brilliantly demonstrated, the experience of hearing a Mahler symphony is not unlike that of reading a massive novel or watching a very long film -- it can be captivating and transformative, as long as all the pieces of the vast structure cohere.

They did Saturday, as music director Carlos Kalmar led a path through the nearly hour-and-a-half-long piece with unflagging yet unrushed tempos and rich, clear detail, allowing the music's emotional ambiguities and soul-shaking conclusion to resonate from within rather than seem forced from the podium.

The sound was superb, sometimes stunning. With principal tuba J?Ttik Clark laying a rock-solid foundation in sometimes subterranean depths, the brass were magnificent; behind concertmaster Sarah Kwak, who lent beguiling solo contributions, the strings were warm; the heavily augmented winds achieved a vast range of tonal color; and the percussion, from the playful triangles in the first movement to the shattering hammer-blows of the last, were thrilling.

It makes perfect sense that the Oregon Symphony should focus more on Mahler; the Vienna-trained Kalmar put his stamp on the orchestra early on with exciting, exquisitely detailed performances of Beethoven, and the players have achieved sufficient strength throughout to tackle Mahler's demands with focused ensemble, expressive range and stamina. Unfortunately, with the extra players (and sometimes singers) required, Mahler isn't cheap; it would be a shame if the OSO's budget woes kept the orchestra from programming music it now seems almost destined to play.?

-- James McQuillen

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2012/11/classical_music_review_oregon_4.html

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