Toronto music lovers (including myself) can be forgiven if we lament the passage of time and its impact on our favourite artists. In one extraordinary week, two beloved conductors – arguably two of the greatest of the past half century – Michael Tilson Thomas and Daniel Barenboim, had to withdraw from their engagements in Toronto due to ill health.
My first exposure to the conducting of Tilson Thomas was over five decades ago, when I attended performances at the Buffalo Philharmonic, where he was Music Director, as a student. There was a charismatic aura to the music-making of the then 20-something Michael Tilson Thomas, a budding maestro, full of energy and youthful exuberance. Those were the days…
I was looking forward to experiencing the maestro’s artistry again in this run of Mahler and Berg, but it was not to be. Now in his late 70’s and battling glioblastoma (an aggressive form of brain tumour), Tilson Thomas courageously returned to the podium earlier this year, but sadly it didn’t last. Replacing him this week was American conductor David Robertson, who made his TSO debut. The program, pre-planned by Tilson Thomas, remained unchanged.
The show opened with Alban Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder. Berg can be a hard nut to crack, but that doesn’t apply to this gorgeous song cycle. The seven short pieces, which last all of fifteen minutes, are stylistically diverse. The cycle ranges from the exquisite Late Romanticism of Die Nachtigall, which recalls the style of Richard Strauss, to the expanded tonalities of Nacht, adventurous for it time but not overtly atonal.
The soloist was Canadian mezzo Emily D’Angelo, whom I heard and interviewed when she won the Met Competition some years ago. Even from my front row Mezzanine seat, her normally luminous voice sounded surprisingly pushed, and was often covered by the orchestra. Her high fortissimos sounded uncharacteristically grainy. Die Nachtigall, which she sang so beautifully in the CMIM Competition a few years ago, lacked its usual tonal allure.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler with mezzo Emily D’Angelo, conducted by David Robertson (Photo by Stelth Ng)
It strikes me that the orchestral decibels were simply too high, putting the soloist at a disadvantage. There was not quite enough chiaroscuro, so important in this piece. Let’s not forget that Berg composed a version for piano, a much more intimate rendering of these songs. D’Angelo sang an encore, Clara Schumann’s Lorelei, orchestrated by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston. The soloist-orchestra balance here was more favourable, which resulted in a more satisfying outcome.
After intermission came the centrepiece of the evening, Mahler’s Fifth Symphony (1901-03). A complex and philosophical piece, it’s structurally quite different from his early symphonies, more abstract, without programmatic content. Mahler composed his Fifth Symphony around the time when he suffered a serious, life-threatening illness. Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising that it emphasizes contrasting moods of darkness and light, which underscore a philosophical meditation by Mahler himself on the meaning of life.
There were many memorable moments in the performance, conducted by Robertson. The strings, brass and woodwinds (with minor exceptions) were exemplary. The opening Trauermarsch was strikingly played – I found myself immediately drawn in. For many of us, the most anticipated part of this Symphony is the justly famous Adagietto. The TS did not disappoint, offering the audience smooth-as-silk sonic textures. The Finale, the Rondo, lived up to its name, played with great energy and acuity. Patrons did not hold back at the end, given the TS and Robertson repeated standing ovations. All in all, a wonderful way to spending an evening.
Roy Thomson Hall
Berg: Seven Early Songs and Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor
Emily D’Angelo, mezzo-soprano; David Robertson, conductor
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
November 22, 2023
