Last night I had the opportunity to experience a Bernstein/Mahler concert at the recently built concert hall at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation/DR. Both of them first symphonies. This was my first visit to the concert hall, so first of all I was blown away by the grand and innovative architecture by Jean Nouvel held in warm orange-red-brown tones to compliment the wood and string instruments.
The concert was masterfully directed by American Marin Alsop, educated as a violinist from the Juilliard School in New York. Both symphonies were somewhat sinister, in particular Bernstein's last movement of Lamentation, sung by Swedish mezzo soprano Kristina Hammarström - but it made a huge emotionel impression. The story of a woman who is left all to herself and grieves (laments) her loss.
The Mahler symphony is said to be inspired by his own feeling of being a misunderstood genius and portrays a hero struggling for recognition, originally ending in his taking his own life and later gaining recognition for his struggle in Paradise, according to the story line. Although Mahler later took that interpretation back after his own recognition. The symphony's first movement depicts an awakening of nature after winter, with merry musical chirps and twitters as our hero strolls along. Later, during the third movement, our hero is going through a severe crisis - here comes the funeral march, yet still inlaid in a bizarre mix were wonderful notes of Jewish Klezmer music (dance music, with folk music inspiration, in particular used for weddings). In the final, our hero has fought through his troubles and has his come back, and this movement was somewhat of a visual and auditive show piece and - if music can have that effect - almost pyroclastic. I can only urge people to go for the experience and get blown away. Although next time, I'll go for something lighter and brighter myself.
For further information, please see (photo provided by this site):
http://www.dr.dk/Koncerthuset/Kalender/2009_-_oktober/20090326111507_1.htm