Metzmacher/DSO Berlin, Von Otter - a thoroughly enlightened Mahler Third

When Ingo Metzmacher conducted the Mahler Second Symphony earlier this year – paired without interruption with the short purely choral Lux Aeterna of Ligeti preceding it, he sought and mostly attained a modernist take on Mahler’s innovations of its structure, related issues, especially for its finale, with its elements of sonata form and moreover prefigurations of ‘perpetual variation.'

The finale to the Second has been said to be a series of introductions (though again including sonata form elements) with statement of ‘Auferstehung’, when it finally arrives in E-Flat Major being arrival of the first theme of the true Exposition. The outworking of it then in effect becomes the Veni, Creator Spiritus (Part 1) of the Eighth Symphony – also in E-Flat Major. He mostly convincingly took the finale of Symphony No. 2 just a step further, however, than how described above (as most acutely heard on Klemperer's classic EMI recording, recorded performances) in how he may perceive that this music suggests Mahler possibly having seen farther than, beyond the modernism to rigorously develop soon thereafter. In opening out such romantic perspective, one can surmise Mahler having envisioned futuristic elements through prism of the romantic past as well.

Metzmacher just partly indicated inculcating romantic elements into his interpretation as might be rethought later on, to include the Ligeti up to several seconds or so right before starting the first movement of the Second Symphony. Ligeti aside, part of doing so would too be in keeping with the Wunderhorn roots of so much of its melodic material in and inspiration behind both it and together the Third and Fourth to follow.

We then come to the Symphony No. 3, nearly a year after what proved very close to definitive for the Second and that I found even more satisfactory than the recording Gielen made in southwest Germany (SWR) several years ago. Probably the most controversial part of Metzmacher’s interpretation of Symphony No. 3 was the first movement, in his emphasis on purely musical aspects of its even dramatic narrative and form - or mix of form and sprawl. Certainly one suffers slightly from fatigue, coming across the same heavily anticipated downbeats, hollow bombast that gets applied very often to much of the first movement of the Third. Metzmacher, in finding so much poetry in spaces, transitions between the big moments of this movement, is certainly more attuned to the progressive, forward looking aspects of this music than are others.

However not nearly all of how Metzmacher arrives at interpretative decisions comes from with whom he studied, neither should it be expected, even for things to coincide. The more single-minded I find in this instance, having listened to each on the first movement back to back is still Michael Gielen. Gielen has recorded one of the slowest accounts of the first movement; his doing so has helped deny ahead of time any closeness of himself and Metzmacher. Metzmacher opted instead for a moderately broad pace, impetus being to avoid romanticizing this music excessively and playing it all to goal of so much expected clichés and bombast – tendencies Gielen avoids as well.

Part One opened, understated, in forthright manner - space opened up for respondent brass chorales – and good current running through icy string section tremolo getting added into the mix as well. Quick dovetailing through wide runs at end of first episode of depicting the inchoate aspects of winter, sounded only a little glib, as did not oddly enough resumption of the opening section. ‘Schwer’ (Heavy) marked got understated – but in context of otherwise very accurate rhythm and intonation – after very febrile first intimations of spring – beautifully anticipated from low brass and timpani.

Metzmacher waited until entry of the march for spring to find clear definition in thus its full arrival in full, even with previous to it a Mendelssohnian lightness for triplets from lower strings; once into the march, he understated what is usually deemed necessary some really firm accentuation. With return of the cold blast of brass and acutely varied tremoli from the strings, focus was put back in full; and one’s attention got riveted by that and then with timpani rolls cutting in on lines of arioso from trombone - eloquently voiced here. Such carried over effortlessly into beautiful duet between Wei Lu (concertmaster) and principal horn, following a gently, specifically marked, s evocative alternating inhalation and exhalation of the breath of spring.

Metzmacher through very well animated ‘Rabble’ and then perhaps lighter manner with Storm than usual, continued to show seeing somehow past the most climactic, even bombastic pages in the first movement to bigger picture that lay ahead. Some might continue to find, with the Lisztian demonic quality one gets for instance from 1980’s Solti/Chicago, the whole thing somewhat understated in regards to such possible element in Mahler’s scoring of both what is tone poem and thirty-three minute long first movement in sonata form. The sobriety of how trombone arioso approaching the coda (as much late arriving B group of the recapitulation) to this that then started with lively bounce, lift, even lightness to it, sufficiently contrasted with the storm episode that had preceded it. One might have asked for more defined sweeping allargandi right before end of the first movement and a little more punch to closing accents. Without having experienced anything maybe quite definitive with the first movement, much was still very clearly enjoyable - and free of unwanted cliché. First movement here served its purpose very well as façade for what followed it.

As many times the second movement has gone well, this one came very close to perfection, starting Part Two, even with a little more dark color from oboe and strings early on - with its anticipated fine halting step through it – than usual. First brief trio section was all crisp, airy, and incisive, with Metzmacher relaxing things down into sober reprise of consequent of opening phrases in violas through increasingly drowsy replies from Wei Lu, high solo clarinet, and descending flute triplets. Light spiccati marked trio section reprise through incredible, never self-conscious display of light virtuosity from varied sections of DSO Berlin. Purposefully weary-toned flutes through later reprise of A section of the ‘minuet’ on soft down of meadow under gentle breeze, continued rapt utter charm, naivete, giving away no hint of sophistication in achieving such. Luminous, ardent closing phrases helped conclude very poetic playing of this intermezzo.

The third movement was hardly less good than the second, with woodland naivete not diminished – from over grassy meadows of right before. Woodwinds, with complete naïve and rustic charm, phrased Ablosung in Sommer (tune to opening of the third movement) exactly as it would be sung, leading one to suspect Metzmacher going over song text with his principals during rehearsal, to make sure how well they must know it to play such passages so well. Metzmacher put all through never a heavily sluggish gait, while maintaining a steady, almost measured, but never rushed pace through it all.

Contrasting dark muted accents got drawn out of trumpets and violins with unforced ease. Played a little more forte than fortissimo, the trio parody of Beethoven 5 got played here as just that – parody, lightly jaunty, with trills in solo flute, then violins effortlessly spinning off. Metzmacher marked eschewal of vibrato in the violins and then indicated kletzmar bump to double bass figuration to enhance further the rusticity of his accents in reprise of the scherzo - past what is too commonly an overstated downward brass run end to often excessively disjunct stretto. He then calibrated dry colors with reverb through series of brief episodes to very magical effect, making ready post horn anticipating shadows of twilight.
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Back placement of the dark, highly expressive, but never sentimentalized post horn solo was evocatively calibrated with all else, including with episodes interrupting this section with for instance more kletzmar accents from bassoon unapologetic, unfettered. The fugato that Mahler makes recapitulate trio portion of the scherzo, only almost rushed toward the end, had very near ideal combination of excellent lightness and strong accenting. Wei Lu was heard, sticking out only slightly to lead violins down long tremolo accented chromatic lines down into post horn solo reprise. Even though the coda to follow emerged slightly rushed, all space was allowed brief ‘call from horn in E-flat Minor to herald both an exuberant close to this – and all mystery to follow.

All that might have distracted from excellent focus for the two vocal movements here were a scratchy first awkward portamento or two from principal oboe in the former and tinny, metallic bells in the latter. Anne Sofie Von Otter found, with still youthful, even ‘Wunderhorn’ tone the right balance between that and the mystery of the text, the latter which she somewhat missed with the Vienna Philharmonic and Boulez on DGG. Here, with deep longing, without beginning to go ‘tragedy queen’ on us, she ideally expressed Nietzche’s lines for what they evoke of night, of Man’s groping for reason therein, - and then calmly, with both supple resolution and compassion, the penitential lines of the fifth movement. One has perhaps to go back to Maureen Forrester to hear this music sung equally well. Metzmacher accompanied, through beautiful solos and eventually improved portamenti from his principal oboe, evocatively. He also freely understated so frequently found raucous element to mix of childrens’ and women’s choruses in what follows, without denying any of their character.

All one could call Metzmacher on during the Adagio was perhaps slightly stiff accenting of the one or two dramatic climaxes occurring late within – perhaps for lack of having been able to find firm accenting for similar places in the first movement. He more than made up for it for what competes very clearly for one of the most simply hymnal, transfigured accounts of this music available to us yet. All hint of smarminess, pop song or Liberace lyrics to, colloquially speaking, consequent of this hymn, was not within reach here. The emphasis was on a transfigured kind of light, without going either the other direction too far (i.e., Adagio of 1982 Karajan Mahler Ninth) and making Parsifal out of this. He then in effect indicated here that he hears an opening out within these long-breathed lines into the great extension of tonality that was going to follow, but also the very human element as well, as to the deep longing this music beautifully expresses. Harrowingly poignant principal flute solo right before the final opening in solo trumpet for buildup to final statements of the hymn was steeply arched. For all that had preceded it, it proceeded forth very naturally.

All merged finally into single unbroken line to luminous, slowly intoned chords in brass over measured timpani. A higher level of music-making evident so many times during the last five movements of this Mahler Third - certainly as anticipated too during its first part (first movement) - seems hardly possible. One could also think back to such acute seeing to the other side in t Adagio of the Mahler Tenth, both tonally and transfiguratively with which Metzmacher infused it and closed last season, to effect, it would seem that the Deryck Cooke ‘completion’ of the Tenth should at last seem superfluous.

DSO Berlin/Metzmacher: Aufbruch 1909 orchestral concert - part 1 - Das Lied von der Erde

This program presented what is considered calling card for Ingo Metzmacher with any good major ensemble - Mahler and Schoenberg. On one, he merely (and frustratingly) suggested the possibilities. On the other, results seemed imperceptible as any distance at all from absolutely definitive.

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde unusually found itself on the first half of this concert. There is hardly any more vigorous thrust than with which such can begin for first movement as happened here. It seemed before the singer entered mostly as though such purposeful thrust infused with classical objectivity might hold sway. American tenor Stephen Gould, in on several days notice for Johan Botha, started 'Das Trinkleid von Jammer der Erde' lachrymose, but full in sound, before reaching a first high, strained B-Flat. Thereafter, there was a frequent infusion of allargando and with frequent lunging about toward high notes, of heavy emphases. Metzmacher followed Gould more often than not on what he wanted. DSO Berlin etched the development section with its English horn solo and flutter-tonguing flutes poetically; Gould then re-entered and ignored the dynamics.

Gould sang this with more than ample voice. In fact he did so to the point that his tubular manner of projecting his baritonal timbre became too easily hardened, hooty, and at times questionable in intonation – so then what one could assess as little better than a poor man’s Hans Hopf. With low priority for the text itself - how to provide it good color and meaning - his interpretation came across as sophomoric.

"Der Einsame im Herbst" started off quite breezily, sloughing off the 'Enmudet' in the tempo marking entirely and then not allowing the Fliessend markings for B sections of the movement to be heeded in either any noticeable fashion. There seemed to be developing here an emphasis on the linearity of the music that one or two chamber ensemble reductions of this score suggest could be a way of proceeding overall. The method for achieving such fragmentation, sense thereof in the first song, with allargandi, lunging onto and off the crest of the line, though never to be outre, seemed considerably different. In Christianne Stotijn, Metzmacher had a considerably different type of artist (better to have been paired with Johan Botha). I'd hate to think that he was merely tailoring his interpretation of Mahler to suit the character of his two individual singers. That, however, is what really seemed to be happening.

Stotijn approached much of her part, even through Abscheid with a lighter tone, lighter touch than is perhaps the norm. She could still prove at times how well and quite beautifully her voice fills out in certain areas of her range. Simplicity of emotion and expression seemed to be the mainstay here. In fact, there is something to be said for singing this music this way - with sense of naive engagement with the world, immersion in and love for nature, and heartfelt desire to cling to life while still young. All that, in place of Das Lied sounding like immediate sequel to the Gesellen Lieder or Knaben Wunderhorn, would work, once Stotijn has lived with this music longer and made it a little more her own. A generic 'tragedy queen' approach to the three even-numbered movements of Das Lied ultimately cuts things to really even less. Curious that "Meine kleine Lampe" was darker in color than "Mein Herz ist mude" right before it - even suggesting perhaps a deconstructionist impetus.

"Sonne der Liebe" was understated, but Metzmacher made clear indication of his shaping of what followed it by his decisively angular approach to the abrupt downward climb from this line (marked Drangend) and in the ending postlude. He avoided too, along with Stotijn, sentimentalizing this music, not that it should be knee-jerk to anyone that this and Abscheid should leave us all soaked in bathos.

Scherzo of Das Lied began with Von der Jugend. Gould started mezzo-forte but with pleasing insouciance, a smile to the tone that certainly works. Satisfied that he had started so well, he - other than singing the notes and text - ignored most of the rest. The magically pensive, literally reflective middle section just about completely went for naught. It sounds of course that Von Der Jugend was written for a different kind of tenor than Der Trinkleid. Well, those singers who can work their voices into the manner or Fach that may approximate Viennese well are going to find versatility with which to be able to handle both movements. If Gould wanted better interpretively here than just good enough for him, may I suggest after the fact that he listen again to Ji-Min Park (Graf Albert -lissome supporting part) on a Royal Opera transcript of Die Tote Stadt in which Gould (Paul) starred himself.

Von der Schonheit started with limpid, translucent, febrile grace from DSO Berlin and with Stotijn starting off emotionally cool but relaxed. The horse-gallop middle section started off forthright and vigorously as it should, but then Metzmacher pushed the end of this section so much, that it was enough for Stotijn just to be able to speak the lines, much less having to sing them. Stotijn is not the first to get tripped up here by who is on the podium. In fact, I must stop and scratch my head to wonder just from where Metzmacher might have learned to conduct this passage so – whether or not he could indeed have from somewhere. The song ended with the deft touch, but hollow quality to Stotijn's lower middle register got a little uncomfortably exposed – Stotijn having put in a little aerobics a moment or two earlier - for the good of a line or two toward end of this song.

It was back to Gould one last time for Der Trunkene im Fruhling, by which time he had developed the art of providing enough nuance to just only the last note or two or last word to a number of phrases. He slammed into "Der Lenz ist da" so - enough that the bird that must arrive to report this would have flown away in great haste or fright, never to chance announcing ‘Lenz’ out loud again. Metzmacher, who was getting just about everything right thus far, loosened up several moments later his discipline or control over sonorities, once things started speeding up. He is in good company for letting such incidence occur at the end of 'Drunkard in Spring;' careless with it, its coda sounds more like clutter than music. The preceding sonorities were fine – those immediately following 'Der Lenz ist da' that so transfixed Anton Webern.

One thought it might have taken "Abscheid" to solve the enigma as to how uncertain things sounded with Metzmacher doing Das Lied thus far; here, quite oddly enough, we were denied. The five minute cortege ritornello at midpoint was well nigh perfect, at least up until shortchanging a moment in buildup to the climax to it and then the climax of it itself. Two lengthy principal flute solos, gorgeously played, had all the space, poetry they needed. On the other hand, there seemed so often an uncertainty about maintaining well enough an underlying steady pulsation even at the start of “Abscheid.” Preparation for numerous places, sections felt inadequate - most acutely - perhaps to avoid bathos - at “O muden Menschen.”

Things came into focus during the second section of the Exposition - though even the start of this felt rushed - and one could for several minutes sense a complete grasp of the full sonorities in the writing. Metzmacher having clipped “O schonheit” to help Stotijn sustain it, Stotijn a moment later then wisely goaded the very closing “Lebens trunkne Welt” to third part of the Exposition in such a way that got Metzmacher and orchestra entirely back on page. Christianne Stotijn, for the second half of “Abscheid,” showed greater involvement than earlier in this.

Other than understatement of the desolation of opening lines to the Recapitulation, Stotijn and Metzmacher gave here of their best the entire evening thus far, Stotijn alternately gentle, confiding, resigned, mildly despondent as called for. Getting near midway through the abbreviated second section of this, things twice started getting rushed again, a little perhaps after the model of early Bruno Walter, but with less of a consistent idea than Walter had. “Die liebe Erde”, its inebriated sonorities, got mildly shortchanged. Then with the entrance of celesta and the ‘Ewig’s’, Stotijn’s voice, so light, trailing off, melting away into the orchestral fabric, was close to ideal for translucent close to this – to what had been so much of the way a problematic, sometimes close to two-dimensional rendition of Mahler’s Chinese ‘symphony of songs.’

The linearity of Mahler’s late style seems to intrigue Metzmacher most - how such conceptualizing contributed to a breakdown in tonality and expected harmonic stability along with it. Two things bothered me, however. On the one hand, if there is something clear, cogent to say in making decisions about interpreting this music, its rich poetry and imagery, I welcome there being an irritating approach to doing it. Leave in a few clear markers of what one is about to those first and foremost of all who know the piece.

One on the other hand also does not have to impose one’s will, regardless the consequences for them, on soloists, such as for instance Karajan did, to have and to insist upon a commanding lead. Das Lied is essentially a symphony with widely varied leading vocal and (also) instrumental obbligati. The motives here were right and sincere. The elements of potentially a fine interpretation of this masterpiece are here but remain in gestation. So better to move on – that for now Metzmacher’s interpretation of Mahler’s ‘Das Lied’ should sit in queue as ‘work-in-progress.'