Gergiev, World Orchestra for Peace, Royal Albert Hall | reviews, news & interviews
Gergiev, World Orchestra for Peace, Royal Albert Hall
Gergiev, World Orchestra for Peace, Royal Albert Hall
A lousy Mahler Four and an invigorating Mahler Five
Friday, 06 August 2010
Valery Gergiev: 'This wasn't a Mahler performance about the eternal but about the moment. And in Gergiev's hands every moment was vital.'Chris Christodoulou
It seemed odd on paper. Two Mahler symphonies? In one night? I don't think I'd ever seen that. Last night's Prom showed why not. While Valery Gergiev's second half Mahler Five saw the stage transfigured into a writhing sea of bodies and the air filled with an epic sound, his first half starter, Mahler Four, fell flat on its face. One was a performance; the other was a rehearsal to a performance.
It seemed odd on paper. Two Mahler symphonies? In one night? I don't think I'd ever seen that. Last night's Prom showed why not. While Valery Gergiev's second half Mahler Five saw the stage transfigured into a writhing sea of bodies and the air filled with an epic sound, his first half starter, Mahler Four, fell flat on its face. One was a performance; the other was a rehearsal to a performance.
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