RTE National Symphony Orchestra at National Concert Hall, on 7 October 2016

Marking the start of the 2016/2017 season, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra’s most recent offering kick-starts the mini-series ‘Bruckner: Music and Faith’, one of two series celebrating the symphonic tradition in the works of Bruckner and Shostakovich.

Joining forces with the National Symphony Orchestra is mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon. Her performance of Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder illustrates a thoughtful approach to music-making in the face of a most difficult subject matter, that of child mortality. Bardon’s delivery tackles the subject in a decidedly human fashion, balancing perfectly the animation of grief and tenderness of love that Rückert’s poetry describes without succumbing to even a hint of melodrama. Although it seems initially that the tenderness of Bardon’s delivery is at risk of being overwhelmed by the orchestra, by the third song the mezzo hits her dramatic stride.

Jonas Alber
Photo: Ugo Ponte

It must be said that the National Symphony Orchestra are, along with conductor Jonas Alber, in flying form on this evening. They return, sans Bardon, following a short intermission for a rousing performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat. In performance, it is easy to see why the symphony is sometimes dubbed the ‘Church of Faith’: the monumental dynamic swells and triumphal brass of the first movement evoke the same sense of awe one feels when confronted with a piece of religious architecture. Despite the atmosphere of exuberance and energy surrounding the players, Alber remains unquestionably in control throughout, guiding the orchestra through jaunty pizzicato passages and a fugue-riddled finale with aplomb. The performance is, to those fond of Bruckner, an absolute treat. Due note must be given to the string section’s excellent delivery of Bruckner’s gratuitous pizzicato passages, particularly in the instance of the fourth movement, in which the ascending and descending scale passages proved the driving force to a spectacular finale.

The concert finishes with the exultant chorale, concluding a resounding success for the National Symphony Orchestra. With any hope, this is an omen of many more good things to come.

Programme:

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B flat