Obviously size doesn’t matter. Yet, the very sight of eight soloists, a vast orchestra and massed choruses, all summoned onstage (or offstage, as indicated in the score), never fails to impress. Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (1906-07) is a guaranteed eye-opener.
And ear-opener too, for that matter. For not only there are unparalleled climaxes in this Mahler giant, but those most sublime of moments, where the music is stripped down to its pure essentials; single melodic lines or chords charged with beauty and immediate expressiveness.
Among the eleven Mahler symphonies, the Eighth Symphony seems to stand apart from everything else. Cast in two movements, with their roots in the pentecostal hymn, Veni, creator spiritus, and in the closing scene of Goethe’s Faust II, respectively, the symphony seems to inhabit a universe of its own.
Yet, if one looks more carefully, there are several trails that can be traced back from the Eighth Symphony to Mahler’s previous works. The setting of Veni, creator spiritus owes to Mahler’s long interest in Bachian polyphony, manifesting itself in already in the rondo-finale of the Fifth Symphony (1901-02). The panorama-like second movement follows more or less similar scheme as in the finales of the Second Symphony (1888-1894) and the Sixth Symphony (1903-04).
However, unlike his previous works, the Eighth Symphony dwells in unprecedented luminescence of transfiguration. The all-encompassing irony, so prominent in a lot of Mahler, has paved way for an unhinged burst of creative energy, resulting in a glimmering symphonic entity, a sounding celestial body.
All this is not to say that there are no contrasts in the Eighth Symphony. On the contrary, the musical material, largely rooted in the opening statement of the opening movement, is examined in detail from various perspectives in both monolithic movements. In this respect, the Eighth Symphony is one of the most amazing creations in the Mahler canon.
For its vast forces called in the score, the Eighth Symphony is not the easiest thing to get performed. Yet, it is done surprisingly often, far more frequently nowadays than, say, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder (1900-11). Still, each performance of Eighth Symphony is a special event, calling for a great deal of preparation and coordination.
Of all venues, Royal Albert Hall seems to be tailor-made for Mahler’s sounding spheres. With its huge choral and orchestral forces at play, the Eighth Symphony dwells rather comfortably in the vast hall.
All things considered, this Sunday evening provided a perfect setting for Thomas Søndergård’s farewell performance as the chief conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales concluding his six-year tenure with the orchestra.
The huge eight-part chorus combined the talents of BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus and both Southend Boys’ Choir and Southend Girls’ Choir. The line-up of the eight soli featured sopranos Tamara Wilson, Camilla Nylund and Joélle Harvey, mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland (stepping in for Christine Rice at a short notice), contralto Claudia Huckle, tenor Simon O’Neill, baritone Quinn Kelsey and bass Morris Robinson.
Over the years, I’ve come to find, that from the conductor’s point of view, the biggest challenges of the Eighth Symphony seem to be embedded in the opening movement. Within its sonata-form, Mahler ventures deep into contrapuntal textures, calling for the utmost care for transparency and balance, so often compromised, one way or the other, in a live performance.
Of course, there are many variables at play here. The size of the chorus and the acoustics of the venue can make things easier or harder to tackle for a conductor. Be that as it may, with Søndergård at the helm, the soloists, the choruses and the BBC NOW gave a fabulous performance of the Veni, creator spiritus, gaining ever more momentum as the movement proceeded.
Søndergård’s choises of tempi were spot on, and the balance between voices and orchestra was well taken care of. All this resulted in a beautiful rendition of the movement’s sonic architecture. Although there were moments when the second violins, celli and the lower winds got overrun by the choral textures, I tend to think that this had more to do with the acoustical realities of the mid-arena, than the possible shortcomings in performance.
After the euphoria of the Veni, creator spiritus, an hour-long symphonic surge into Goethe followed. In the final scene of Faust II, we enter into the realm of transfiguration, a summit of western cultural archetypes clad in mystery. For Mahler, Goethe’s play provided material for a quasi-operatic scene within a symphonic framework.
The second movement builds upon the same basic material as the Veni. creator spiritus, now radically reworked into solo lines and choruses with a prolonged instrumental introduction.
The choruses were again on the top of their game, and there were memorable performances from all the eight soloists. On a personal note, among soloists, Camilla Nylund’s Una Poenitentium, Joélle Harvey’s Mater Gloriosa, Marianne Beate Kielland’s Mulier Samaritana and Simon O’Neill’s Doctor Marianus were most deeply etched in memory. Yet, to be fare, the whole ensemble of soloists came together very well to form a convincing whole.
In performing a demanding piece like Mahler Eighth Symphony, there are naturally some ups and downs for an orchestra. True, that at places, the tuning was less than ideal, and some of the solo line soared less than immaculately, but as a whole, the BBC NOW had a fine evening with great many detail ravishingly performed.
Still, one question remains. How Mahlerisch did it all sound? In all honesty, there were so many amazing moments of choral and orchestral splendour in the course of the evening, yet, at moments, it all felt more like Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony than traditional Mahler sound.
Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, and in this case I am forced to ask myself, is the Mahler sound I was so keenly after but a cliché, that was cleverly averted in this performance, or was there something essential missing from Søndergård’s vision (or from its realization). In the end, the questions remain unanswered, but the fact, that this was, nevertheless, a most uplifting performance, remains. In contrast to this pure experience, all else is somewhat secondary.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Chorus
Southend Boys’ Choir
Southend Girls’ Choir
Tamara Wilson, soprano (Magna Peccatrix)
Camilla Nylund, soprano (Una Poenitentium)
Joélle Harvey, soprano (Mater Gloriosa)
Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano (Mulier Samaritana)
Claudia Huckle, contralto (Maria Aegypitiaca)
Simon O’Neill, tenor (Doctor Marianus)
Quinn Kelsey, baritone (Pater Ecstaticus)
Morris Robinson, bass (Pater Profundis)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat Major (1906-07)
BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall
Sunday 22 July, 7 pm
c Jari Kallio
AIM - Adventures in Music 
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