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Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Berg: Seven Early Songs (Emily D’Angelo, mezzo-soprano); Mahler: Symphony No. 5. David Robertson, conductor, Roy Thomson Corridor on Nov. 22. Repeats Nov. 24 (7:30 p.m.) and Nov. 25 (8 p.m.). Tickets right here.
Mahler symphonies are self-recommending highlights of any Toronto Symphony Orchestra season. Expectations ran notably excessive for the Fifth as initially booked with Michael Tilson Thomas as conductor.
Sadly, MTT has been pressured to curtail his journey. David Robertson, one other skilled American, was introduced in instead Wednesday in Roy Thomson Corridor, with respectable if not fairly optimally Mahlerian outcomes.
The notes had been there, and performed higher than passably. This was, in any case, the TSO. Martial assertions within the opening minute had been sturdy however the lengthy, songful melody for strings that adopted had minimal curvature. Waltzes and different attribute Viennese parts had been left to fend for themselves. Even the well-known Adagietto appeared non-committal.
Cheery music fared higher. Winds sounded frisky within the Scherzo. Principal horn Neil Deland was requested to play his distinguished solos from a standing place stage left, a requirement that concerned some time-consuming backstage migration. He would have made an equally sturdy impression had he stayed put.
One of the best taking part in of the night was within the finale, with its contrapuntal scurries and blazing fanfare on the finish. An agile determine on the rostrum, Robertson appeared to have the measure of this upbeat music. Maybe the repeat performances of Friday and Saturday will event a fuller realization of the rating. Not that the viewers confirmed any indicators of dissatisfaction. (Or, fortunately, any inclination to clap between actions.)
At 75 minutes, the Fifth requires a compact however consequential first “half,” on this case Alban Berg’s arch-romantic Seven Early Songs. Our soloist was mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, a identified commodity in her native Toronto and elsewhere. Sadly, her voice on this night lacked carrying energy. Nor was her tone considerably diverse. The sound opened up considerably within the encore, Clara Schumann’s Lorelei, as orchestrated by Cecilia Livingston (who stepped as much as the stage to take a bow). Once more, we will count on higher within the repeat concert events.
The Berg was made doubly disappointing by the absence of texts and translations within the printed program. Allow us to hope that this was a one-time-only oversight.
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Arthur Kaptainis has been the classical music critic of the Montreal Gazette since 1986 and wrote for the Nationwide Submit 2010-2016. His articles have appeared in Classical Voice North America and La Scena Musicale in addition to Ludwig Van. Arthur holds an MA in musicology from the College of Toronto.
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