Review: Hong Kong Philharmonic shines in Mahler 3’s forceful and intimate episodes under baton of Jaap van Zweden
Orchestra showed itself up to the challenges of monumental six-movement symphony from the opening bars, and produced a performance of emotion and precision lit up by some wonderful solo playing
“Mahler’s Mighty Third”, the title of this Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra concert, hardly seemed an appropriate description of the Austrian composer’s Symphony No. 3, despite the large symphonic forces employed: two harps, two sets of timpani, children’s choir, female choir, eight horns, four trombones, tuba, an offstage post horn, the usual Romantic-era complement of strings, and 17 woodwinds; at one point Mahler deploys four piccolos.
A typical performance comes in at 100 minutes and, with its six movements, the work ordinarily occupies an entire concert programme.
The HK Phil’s rendition, under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, ran the gamut of emotions both in chamber-music-like moments and with the orchestra in full voice – from the grand to the understated, from the powerful to the poignant, and from ominous to other-worldly ethereal.
The work is at one level a testament to Mahler’s love of nature, but at its core expresses nobler sentiments about universality. Each movement reflects Mahler’s view of the world and what is around
him.
The orchestra showed itself to be up to the challenges of the work right from the opening bars. The captivating unison horn theme heralding summer was delivered in wonderful synchronicity and transported listeners to the Austrian Alps, where Mahler penned the work over the course of three summers.