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UN-FREAKIN' BELIEVABLE! This was an astonishing Mahler 6th in every conceivable way. Personally, I thought that this was much better the Bernstein/VPO M6 that I saw in Carnegie Hall back in the late '80s, at least from an interpretive standpoint. Bychkov conducted the 6th very, very well.
Oh yes, there are still a few very minor Vienna-isms left in them: an old pair of Zildjian cymbals that are very dark sounding; a rather small sounding triangle (which they frequently doubled in loud passages); playing the snare drum from a seated position (which didn't seem to be a problem at all). And, if there is such a thing as a weak section within the VPO, I would say that their woodwinds aren't quite up to the level of the strings - who are thoroughly beyond belief - or their powerful horns and low brass. The tuba and bass trombone were positively jaw-dropping.
Just as in St. Louis, Bychkov performed the 6th in S/A order, and there were two hammer strokes in the finale - the second one reinforced with the optional cymbals and tam-tam (bass drum isn't optional). The scherzo began with just a very short break after the first movement. Then Bychkov took a much longer break before starting the Andante. Thus, the first two movements sort of worked together as a unified Part 1. THAT'S the order and interpretation I think works best, but that's just me. After that, the slow movement was gorgeous - as you might have well expected - and the finale was a complete and utter outrage. Bychkov took the final A-minor explosion at the very end of the symphony, very, very slowly, and with a slight crescendo on the last three fortissimo quarter notes from the timpani. That's exactly how I played it with Redwood Symphony (timpani II), and it's nice to hear the VPO second that approach.
Some of Bychkov's ideas very much remind me of what I have heard on the new Saraste/Oslo Phil. recording on Simax - especially the rather protracted cowbell episode in the first movement - it was sooooo atmospheric. The brief "alpine" passage in the slow movement was to die for as well - unison ascending horns; onstage cowbells; twittering strings; naive sounding solo trumpet - that business. Truly, everything about the entire performance was outstanding. I also very much liked the seating arrangement that they used.
Keep in mind that Zellerbach is probably one of the worst concert halls in all of California, so getting good sound and good balances is difficult in all but the smallest works. From left to right (looking at the stage), Bychkov seated his strings: first violins; violas, cellos, second violins. I've never paid much attention to the somewhat antiphonal violin writing in M6, but it's there. It was a little difficult to see how the woodwinds were arranged (I was on the main floor), but bassoons seemed to be a bit higher than usual. It looked to me that the trumpets were seated to the left of the bassoons. The trombones were seated behind the trumpets, and it was the back row that was most creative, in terms of seating. The tuba was placed dead center in the back row (and he played great!), with the horns to his right side (again, looking at the stage), and the trombones to his left. I assume that the fourth trombone was seated next to the tuba during the finale (4th trombone only plays in the finale), but I could be wrong about that. The percussion were positioned to the far left. I think they were a bit crammed for space, but they did an excellent job of covering all of the doublings and misc. instruments, etc. There was a young woman who covered many of the utility percussion parts, and she did a really good job. The harps were difficult to hear except in spots where Mahler thinned out his textures and left them more exposed (slow movement and parts of the scherzo, in other words).
Again, for those who keep score: toward the end of the final allegro (fast) 'charge' passage in the finale, the very final cymbal crash was played with four pairs of cymbals, while the crash that preceded it was played by two pairs. The cymbal plate rolls - played at the end of the brief 'false victory parade march' passage - was executed with two pairs of cymbals. The bass drum in the VPO sounds far more hefty than I remember it sounding back in the '80s (it always sounded too small and too 'dry'). The timpanists were superb. Needless to say, the entire string section of the VPO is to die for. The low strings were beyond belief.
For me, this was a banner day in Berkeley. As you might well know, Berkeley isn't exactly Mahlerville. Early music and modern music are vogue in Berkeley, and Mahler has been slow to catch on (unlike S.F.). But this three day VPO extravaganza seems to have really broken the ice. There was a good 15 or 20 seconds of silence at the end of the finale, and then a unanimous standing ovation that lasted for several rounds of the entire orchestra standing; first desks and various sections called to stand, and Bychkov making numerous returns to the podium. Everyone was in agreement that it had been one heck of a performance.
By the way, Michael Tilson-Thomas showed up, and I was tempted to go ask him if he was there to learn how the piece really goes
Topic: Bychkov/VPO M6 in Berkeley (Read 7613 times)