Tag Archives: Mahler

Rugged Mahler, pale Mozart from Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Prom 50: BBC SSO/ Dausgaard *** Royal Albert Hall, 19th August 2018 You would imagine that Leonard Bernstein would have been a regular at the BBC Proms. He was a natural communicator and educator, delighting in bringing classical music to … Continue reading →

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One step towards paradise: heavenly Mahler from Chen Reiss with the Philharmonia

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Philharmonia/ Shani **** Royal Festival Hall, 11th February 2018 At the climax of the third movement to his Fourth Symphony, Mahler pushes wide the pearly gates before offering us a child’s vision of heaven with the song Das himmlische Leben. It’s a glorious … Continue reading →

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From lamentation to jubilation: Bernstein celebrated in style by Marin Alsop

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Bernstein: LSO/Alsop **** Barbican, 8th November 2017 In the second half of the 20th century, no conductor did more to establish Mahler at the core of the symphonic repertoire than Leonard Bernstein. It was fitting, therefore, that Marin Alsop – Bernstein’s protégé in … Continue reading →

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On the edge of the precipice: Britten and Mahler from Janine Jansen, Semyon Bychkov and the LSO

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

LSO/ Semyon Bychkov **** Barbican Hall, 5th October 2017 It was another evening staring into the abyss courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra. A fortnight after Sir Simon Rattle drove his charges into hell in a thrilling Damnation of Faust, Semyon Bychkov presided over … Continue reading →

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Dudamel’s Mahler grows up: a transcendent Third with the LA Phil

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Mahler: LA Phil/Dudamel **** Barbican, 24th March 2016 For over a decade, Gustavo Dudamel has been the face of classical music’s new generation; figurehead for Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, poster boy for California. Long, black tight curls, beaming smile, twinkling … Continue reading →

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