For those of you who do not know, my name is Michael Hansen and I am 17 years old. I am blind, and I play piano (I also compose for piano, and am starting some works for strings) and cello. I use the computer via screen-reading software called JAWS for Windows; put simply, the software reads any standard text on the screen in synthesized speech.
I have listened to many recordings of Mahler’s sixth symphony, as it is a symphony that I stumbled across at a very difficult time of my life. Through all of the different recordings I have ingested, I have heard time and time again that Benjamin Zander’s Boston Philharmonic Mahler 6 is, to put it in the words of one Amazon.com reviewer, “the one to get.”
Before I go any further, I would like to thank Benjamin Zander and his assistant, Stephanie Stetson. When I contacted Mr. Zander after months of trying to find the recording online—and turning up with only used versions available on Amazon.com at sky-high prices—Mr. Zander graciously offered to send me a copy. This after I contacted asking where I could buy the album! His assistant, Stephanie Stetson, kept in contact with me and took time out of her day to copy the two-disc set for me, and sent it to me via priority mail.
The album arrived on July 11, 2009; this also happened to be the day that I found out that my grandfather—who was in the hospital battling a respiratory disease—had decided to discontinue all treatment.
So, to say that the stage was set for a listening of Mahler 6 when the package from Mr. Zander arrived would be understating it.
Okay, so on to the music itself.
In The first movement balances Mahler’s difficult tempo marking (energetic fast tempo, but not too much) well. I also heard many details in the strings, percussion—and sometimes even the winds—that I had previously not heard before. I think that the close-up recording really helps to highlight these subtleties, something that I wish I heard more of in other recordings. The timpani rhythm—the fate motif—is played a bit slower than I would have expected given the tempo of the movement, but I think it is definitely more noticeable—and that is good, given that the fate motif is a big part of this work.
The Scherzo starts out with a somewhat energetic tempo that suggests some hint of optimism, but as the movement goes on it becomes clearer that optimism is not the name of the game. Mr. Zander does not fiddle about with the tempo drastically as Leonard Bernstein did, but I have been led to believe that Bernstein and some others really interject their own dramatic tempo markings—if you will—into the Scherzo. The message is still brought across by the rapidly-changing meter: when first listening to this movement under Mr. Zander, I thought of an irregular heartbeat. Again here as well, I noticed details that the close-up recording relays faithfully. As would be expected, a more detailed recording means that unwelcome details are also noticeable. This is not the case in Mr. Zander’s Boston Philharmonic recording, however, and that makes the orchestra’s achievement even more remarkable.
The Andante is a passionate expression of love, faith, and hope. Here, we gain respite from the pounding rhythms of the first two movements, and yet the tragic inevitability is still noticeable. The movement is heartbreakingly beautiful, and I can imagine where Alma Mahler said that the symphony first shows Mahler “in full life and flower.” While that may be the case in parts of the first movement, we get a really good look at Mahler’s love of life here in the Andante. The movement is not played like an adagio, which I think was Mahler’s intentions. The Andante is a simple expression of love and hope—a song without words, as one critic put it. As was the case in the first two movements, the playing is flawless.
The Finale’s first note is accompanied by a crack on the bass drum that brings the listener crashing back to reality. It is as though the Andante was a dream, and in the Finale the hero is awake now and fully aware of what is taking place. The build-up to the first hammer blow is not as energetic and hopeful as some interpretations I have heard (Solti comes to mind), but Zander’s interpretation is more realistic and it fits this performance better. By the way, the hammer blows are excellent! Even though I knew the hammers were coming, I could not repress a shutter when they came. The build-up to the second hammer blow was nice and slow—growing in intensity. The interlude after the second hammer blow (with the violin solo) has a certain dreamlike quality to it—before reality goes marching on. One thing I noticed was that in the early part of the movement, the timpani sounded as though it was on the right side; when the final march theme resumes after the interlude, the timpani sounds as though it is once again on the left side—as was the case in the previous three movements. I remember reading somewhere that the sixth requires two timpani players, and if so…I can imagine how interesting it would have sounded in the concert hall to have the two timpani on opposite sides of the stage. After the march subsides, Mr. Zander slows the orchestra down, which is a very good touch—every note brings home the message of inevitable fate and reality. The third hammer blow is, as would be expected, a smashing (pardon the pun) success. The movement then fades into an elegiac coda—probably one of the most heartfelt renditions I have heard yet. The last chord is shattering in power, but it also gives a sense of closure to the piece—and to the tragedy contained within.
After having listened to the symphony in its entirety for the first time, on a very personal level I feel cleansed of some of the grief associated with my grandfather’s impending death. On a more universal level, listening to Mr. Zander and the Boston Philharmonic play this piece is a very intimate, electrifying experience. The listener lives the tragedy portrayed in this symphony—instead of just seeing it happen to someone else. As I have stated numerous times before, the orchestra—made up of professionals, amateurs, and students—goes beyond themselves in this performance, and that makes the accomplishment that more special.
Again, I would like to publicly thank Benjamin Zander and his assistant, Stephanie Stetson, for their kindness and encouragement with my musical endeavors.
I have one last comment: I have found my favorite Mahler 6 in Mr. Zander’s Boston Philharmonic performance; I truly believe that this interpretation is Mahler’s Mahler Sixth.
Best regards,
Michael Hansen
Topic: Thoughts After Listening to Benjamin Zander/Boston Philharmonic M6 (Read 4393 times)