Zander leads young playersin charge through Mahler
Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, June 5, 2006
Posted: 2006-06-05 10:37:42
On May 27, 1906 , Gustav Mahler conducted the first performance of his vast Sixth Symphony. A few days more than a century later, Benjamin Zander led the work with the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic, remarking to the audience that the composer could scarcely have imagined that his symphony would one day be played by "an orchestra of children."
It would have been interesting to enter the minds of the 120-plus advanced teenage musicians arrayed behind Zander as he said this. Then they tore into a sinister opening march of the symphony with such ferocity and intensity that one wondered how they could possibly keep it up for the next 85 minutes. But they did, flagging only occasionally toward the end of the long technical obstacle course, but never wavering in concentration and commit ment. There were players who seemed to have memorized the entire work, never averting their gaze from Zander.
Like many conductors today, Zander made his own decision about the order of the movements (choosing to play the scherzo before the slow movement) and overruling the composer's wish to eliminate the third hammer terrifying blow in the final movement, the one that fells the hero and may have predicted Mahler's own death. And his experience in Jordan Hall led to an especially effective offstage placement for the atmospheric cow bells. One may feel that Zander's view of the symphony is sometimes too spasmodic and lacks variety, especially of dynamics -- in his hands the piece is almost nonstop climax. But there's no denying how gripping it is, and Zander does hurl bolts of lightning.
This is not a symphony with major solos -- except for the oboe (the eloquent Yuga Cohler ) and principal horn (Lee Wadenpfuhl ), but strings, winds, brass, and percussion sections all need to play with soloistic chops, involvement and individuality, and they did, while maintaining a coherent balance and momentum.
After a prolonged standing ovation, Zander saluted departing manager Rebecca Bogers , and read off the names of the graduating seniors while reporting their college, conservatory, or university destination of choice; all are going to prestigious institutions, some of them in fields other than music. For a moment, one could feel that the future lies in safe hands. And then the orchestra played its traditional gesture of farewell, an emotional performance of the noble "Nimrod" from Elgar's "Enigma" Variations.
