Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Led by Franz Welser-Möst, the venerated VIENNA PHILHARMONIC plays a triumphant rendition of Mahler’s Ninth

• By drediman
• March 5, 2024
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This past weekend, the mighty Vienna Philharmonic capped off three performances at Carnegie Hall with a performance of Mahler’s mammoth Ninth Symphony (the composer’s final completed symphony). Led by maestro Franz Welser-Möst — the Cleveland Symphony’s venerated Music Director — the performance, in summary, was a triumph.

Few pieces of music encompass the human experience as comprehensively and unflinchingly as Mahler’s Ninth. Over the course of four potent, substantial movements — the work in totality runs between 75 to 90 minutes — it poignantly covers the gamut of life through a sprawling, complex, and at times audacious tapestry of music. The work concludes with an autumnal Fourth Movement Adagio, a somber, incredibly moving farewell to the mortal coil.

Happily, the Vienna forces captured both the composition’s highs and lows, playing completely in the moment at all times. Under Welser-Möst’s baton, the storied ensemble performed with abundant character, depth, and vitality. Throughout, they exhibited rich, luxurious playing (those luscious strings! The well balanced brass!) — instinctual but never hurried nor messy — navigating the work’s many shifts and transitions with complete mastery. The orchestra played like a true ensemble.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

VIENNA PHILHARMONIC
Classical Music
Carnegie Hall
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
The performance took place on March 3