Review: BBC PROMS: MAHLER AND BOULEZ, Royal Albert Hall

Hannu Lintu conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a striking pairing of Mahler’s early cantata "Das Klagende Lied" with Boulez’s sombre "Ritual in memoriam Bruno Maderna", a tribute to his colleague and friend. The Prom impressed with its breadth as it delivered an evening of remarkable sonic and emotional contrasts.

Completed in 1880 when Mahler was just 20, "Das Klagende Lied" (Song of lamentation) is a cantata of often beautiful contrasts. Despite its early place in Mahler’s career, it’s still clearly his with its colourful, evocative orchestration, juxtaposition of climaxes with intimate textures, and even the thematic selection hinting at an obsession with death and the supernatural. 

It’s a piece epic in scale with a large main orchestra, a second orchestra off-stage, the BBC Symphony Choir, six soloists (including two children), and a massive score. Mahler wrote the lyrics himself, based on "Der singende Knochen" (The singing bone) by The Brothers Grimm and tells the story of a pair of brothers competing for the love of a queen until one murders the other. The murdered brother’s bones are then turned into a flute which narrates the murder when played.

Lintu at the baton directed the three movements of "Das Klagende Lied" astonishingly, maintaining a propulsive pace in a way that truly emphasises the remarkable excitement inherent in Mahler’s score: it seamlessly moved between bombastic heights and delicate laments, and interludes of almost dance-like exuberance. With Natalya Romaniw as soprano, Jennifer Johnston as mezzo-soprano, Russel Thomas as tenor, and James Newby as baritone, the audience was treated to an excellent delivery of the story. In particular Romaniw’s voice easily dominated the vast space of the Royal Albert Hall with her majestic, stunning soprano. 

"Das Klagende Lied" consists of three movements as it develops from the evocative, mysterious narrative in the first movement, to the almost haunted lyricism of the second movement, and finally into the bombastic orchestral grandeur of the final movement which hints at Mahler’s later symphonies. All throughout, Lintu’s control of the work was total.

Boulez’s "Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna", composed in 1974-75 after the death of Bruno Maderna, is a solemn piece that perfectly evokes a funeral atmosphere with its ritualistic structure and exploration of varying sonic tapestries. The orchestra is divided into eight groups set at some distance from one another to create a sense of separation as they follow a refrain-verse pattern that moves slowly, but unstoppably through the piece. It’s compelling music, complex and rewarding; certainly meditative, but Lintu’s intense focus and structural control over the score were remarkable. The piece in his hands almost became clear, resulting in an absorbing performance.

The BBC Proms continues at the Royal Albert Hall until 13 September