Music

Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Euan McLaughlin

four stars

THE night opened with Beethoven's First Piano Concerto in C played by soloist Daniil Trifonov. Conductor Daniel Harding began with a great energy and this was clearly picked up by the orchestra who played with fantastic poise. You could feel the power behind them, fighting to escape from under those perfectly placed scales.

After a thrilling opening tutti, Trifonov came in with real bravado. The notes seemed to ease off his fingers and his tone sparkled at the top and sung out further down the instrument. However I felt that at times he took the music slightly too fast, losing the character of the piece and falling apart slightly with the orchestra. However I felt that the orchestra captured the character stunningly.

Next came the main event, Mahler's Ninth Symphony, a huge piece with astounding harmonies, beautifully sweet passages and huge crashes. I was captured from the very first note to the last by the magic of the piece. It wasn't till the end that I realised I had been gripping my programme the whole way through.

During the piece I closed my eyes and after sometime completely forgot that I was listening to an entire orchestra as the sounds merged and became an swirling, living thing. At times the music was so stunning that you could feel it hanging in the air, filling the usher hall with delicate whisps of sounds, floating into every space in the hall. I was left stunned and amazed by the music. The one thing I wish is that I could hear it again.

Music

Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Emily Ruuskanen

four stars

AFTER previously hearing Daniel Trifonov’s solo recital, I was very excited to hear that he would be the soloist in Beethoven's first piano concerto and he did not disappoint. The orchestra opened by playing in a light and articulate style and some played on period instruments to capture the true sound and authenticity of the era.

Daniel Trifonov's playing was full of spirit and elegance due to his crisp ornaments and musical performance of the melody, which is a contrast to Beethoven's later and more dramatic works. The second and third movements maintained the same elegance but introduced a slightly more menacing theme which provided the humour that people often look for in Beethoven's music.

Malher's Ninth Symphony was a delight to listen to. The first movement, allegro comodo, had a spacious and gentle opening which gradually built up and became passionate and intense at the climax, especially through the use of percussion.

The second movement continued this sense of despair and bitterness but contains nostalgic moments when the lead violinist of the orchestra played brief solos adding a personal dimension to the movement.

The Rondo-Burleske was slightly more edgy and dark as the theme contained unexpected accidentals and a lurking tension underneath the melody. This was played with drama and emotion which added to the prominent theme of death throughout.

The Adagio was beautifully simple and the last few bars had the entire audience captivated at the end of a very moving and heart-wrenching performance.

Music

Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Ross Dickson

five stars

A CLASSY and expressive performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony delighted a busy crowd at

the grand Usher Hall last night.

An effortlessly virtuosic account of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 by Daniil Trifonov,

accompanied by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, opened the concert. With beautiful

phrasing and neat passage work, Trifonov commanded great respect from a large audience,

returning to the Edinburgh International Festival for the fourth year in a row.

This evenly phrased work of 1797 preceded the chaos of Gustav Mahler's final finished

symphony, completed in 1908. Here, conductor Daniel Harding fluently directed the orchestra

on an epic musical farewell. Mahler's terminal illness is musically represented through the grave

first movement, where the climaxes were played with great passion and longing, gripping the

audience with an enormous dynamic range.

The second movement was taken at a spritely pace but Harding and his orchestra showed no

signs of rigidity. The intended, playful character was well portrayed but this movement did not

hold the same atmosphere of longing and attachment with the audience.

The third movement, described by Leonard Bernstein as "a farewell to action", had conductor

and orchestra enthralling the audience from the dramatic, opening notes. A chaotic exuberance

was fantastically displayed in an awe inspiring performance that was both musically and

emotionally stirring.

The final movement contained terrifying dynamic contrasts but lacked the emotional attachment

created in the previous movement. However, a slightly quick tempo was the only detrimental

factor and this was still an inspiring performance.

Music

Mahler’s Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Lucy McLuckie

four stars

THE minute the Swedish RSO struck up their first chord in the Usher Hall last night, their professionalism was gloriously evident. The florid movement of the orchestra seemed to pulse and swell in synchronisation, under the impressive leadership of their conductor Daniel Harding.

Beethoven’s piano concerto number 1 in C major featured the 25 year old soloist Daniil Trifonov, who seemed to have effortlessly mastered the classical accuracy which this piece required. He played each note with equal importance, so that the rich harmonies gave an impression of more than just one talented pianist sitting centre stage.

After a short interval, a larger orchestra filled the stage, as the audience eagerly awaited Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. This characterful work told a story from start to finish and each section portrayed its part perfectly through a conversational antiphony. The first movement created an atmosphere of tranquillity through the soft glissandos of the harp, and it was in the second movement where we saw individual characters come to life through repeated motifs and themes.

In the fourth and final movement, the orchestra created a magical contrast with their lyrical ensemble sound. The gradual dropping out of the sections, left the strings playing in barely a whisper, yet the conductor kept our rapt attention to the very final breath. This emotional finish left the audience silenced by what was a truly touching performance.

Music

Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Sean Hughes

four stars

AS MORE of a jazz musician myself, I don't usually listen to Beethoven and Mahler, but it certainly was spectacular, being slowly pulled in towards the music as it emotionally sways from left to right, and that was only the orchestra! Daniil Trifonov is an absolutely amazing pianist, from the way he moved, to his pin point accuracy on the piano keys on Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, you could see the fire in that man's eyes through every last strain of emotion, every last thought, and every last feeling. My favourite movement has to be the Rondo, after the two slow movement's having something to contrast between that is nice.

I'd like to take the time and say that the conductor was phenomenal, all of his down and up strokes were fleek and on point.

ON Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the horns were a tiny bit flat to begin with, but I suspect that it was to do with the temperature of the room, because after about 5 minutes of playing you could hear that they were in tune with the rest of the orchestra. The symphony is heart-wrenching: it's about death, it's about fear, it's about hope, but then hope fails, and becomes sadness. You could hear what Mahler was trying to convey as he was writing this, and the orchestra made this very clear, the crisp dynamics, and the tension built this piece from the bottom up. It was all certainly in a well rounded evening.

Music

Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Max Lamprecht

five stars

Most heart breaking show ever?

The performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony, performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, was honestly one of the most heart reaching pieces of music that I have ever heard. If you are looking to be told the deepest and darkest human emotions then you have to see this show. The orchestra realised this work in such a way that left me utterly speechless. I would recommend this show to anyone who is a fan of studying the entire spectrum of human feelings.

Music

Mahler’s Ninth Symphony

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Mia Scott

four stars

MAHLER’s Ninth Symphony was paired beautifully with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1 in a rounded performance featuring the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniil Trifonov as solo pianist and Daniel Harding conducting.

The orchestra pulled out a dazzling performance that not only sounded wonderful, but engaged the audience visually. Each string section effortlessly moved to the music as one, they themselves hooked, just as fresh at the end of the Symphony as they were at the beginning of the concerto. Pristine notes were placed alongside an exquisite dynamic range, with the orchestra mastering the peaceful, quiet sections of the music, right up to the grandest and loudest sections.

The animated melodies contained in Beethoven’s Concerto seemingly flowed freely from the fingers of Trifonov, with the emotion still packing a punch into anyone listening. The accuracy of each note was executed with genuine feeling coming straight from the heart of Trifonov.

Mahler’s Ninth Symphony was almost divided into two different styles, interlinking with each other: a rich and heartfelt, awe-inspiring sound showing the audience the passion, anger and trauma that Mahler went through during his life; contrasting with music that was icy, almost empty, reflecting the struggles and the sadness Mahler experienced, that by the end of the piece, seemed to swallow up the aforementioned drama, creating an eerie and mindful ending to the concert.

These reviews were submitted, to a journalistic deadline, by students at Broughton High School as part of The Herald Young Critics project with the Edinburgh International Festival. www.eif.co.uk