Rattle and the Bavarian RSO offer a glimmer of hope in epic Mahler 6

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

BBC Prom 62

8pm, Friday 6 September 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 6 in A minor (1903-4, rev. 1906)

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra percussionists
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'With short phrases thrown around the orchestra, detail can easily get lost, or lack connection. Yet Rattle (without score) led from one to the other, and just watching him alone delivered complete coherency'.  

'... alone at the top of the staging was a large, beehive-like wooden box on legs. At the appointed moment, the percussionist rose from his seat below, solemnly walked up the steps, picked up the huge mallet, and then scared the living daylights out of the audience in the choir stalls behind, hitting the box with such force it jumped around on the stage. Thankfully it didn’t fall to bits, and no swarm of bees emerged'.

'In the Scherzo, Rattle contrasted the violent, twisted march with the pecking, petulant woodwind, but also brought out the laughing violas alongside the shrill E flat clarinet at the movement’s end'. 

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra woodwinds
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'From the dreamlike opening with weirdly twanging, muted harp effects and more offstage cowbells, to the galloping brass and trilling birdlike woodwinds, the BRSO demonstrated their unquestionable prowess and ability to produce stunning orchestral colour'.

'In the finale, Rattle and the BRSO excelled'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Sir Simon Rattle & the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Prom 49: Glorious, tear-jerking Mahler 2 from Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Proms

Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony in the Royal Albert Hall
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Louise Alder (soprano)

Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)

CBSO Chorus

London Symphony Chorus

London Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

7.00pm, Wednesday 24 August 2022

BBC Prom 49

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022): Donum Simoni MMXVIII

Gustav Mahler 91860-1911): Symphony No. 2 in C minor, 'Resurrection'

Louise Alder & Dame Sarah Connolly
© BBC/Chris Chrisodoulou

Birtwistle:

'In just three or four minutes, Birtwistle packs in some trademark features, with hefty rasps from trombones and shrill calls from the woodwind, as well as strident percussion effects'.

Mahler:

'Conducting from memory, Rattle immediately gave every sense of confidence and total command'. 

'Dame Sarah Connolly's opening line could not have been more captivating, full of pain and longing, and the rising phrases on 'Himmel' and 'leuchten' had a beautiful pleading intensity, all the more powerful for the understated control on show.

'Simon Halsey deserves credit for the fine preparation of both the London Symphony and CBSO Choruses here. From their first seated arrival with 'Aufersteh’n', fiendishly difficult to sing so quietly after sitting for over an hour, to their full-force explosion of sound in the closing sections, they demonstrated exemplary diction, control and tuning.'

'Soprano Louise Alder, at this point positioned side-stage up by the chorus upper voices, rose beautifully above them, and then joined Connolly on stage for their heartfelt banishments of pain and death'. 

'This ending never ceases to impress, but tonight’s tear-inducing, glorious statement of the power of life over death will be remembered for a long time to come'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Darkly intense Berg from Kavakos, with uplifting Schubert from Rattle and the LSO

Leonidas Kavakos
© London Symphony Orchestra

Leonidas Kavakos (violin)

London Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

Streamed Thursday 21 January 2021 at Marquee TV

(available free for 7 days, then on demand through subscription)

Recorded Thursday 7 January 2021

LSO St Luke's, London

★★★★

Alban Berg (1885-1935): Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel'

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Symphony No. 9 in C major D944, 'The Great'

Sir Simon Rattle & the LSO
© London Symphony Orchestra

Berg:

'His incisive virtuosity brought a moving intensity'. 

'Kavakos’ effortless cadenza passages, with a tolling solo line combined with fiendish left hand pizzicato, was captured well by close-up camerawork and his lament, joined by the bassoons, was heartrending'.

Juliana Koch
© London Symphony Orchestra

Schubert:

'Rattle’s Andante (often taken too slowly) had energy, yet it didn’t feel rushed'.

'Through the endless stream of Schubert’s ideas, Rattle maintained the momentum, driving through with the racing strings to blazing trumpets and a glorious finish'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Uplifting Romantic giants from Ax, Rattle and the LSO

Emanuel Ax, Sir Simon Rattle
& the LSO
© Kevin Leighton

Emanuel Ax (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor) 

Wednesday 18 September 2019, 7pm

Barbican Hall, London

★★★★

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83

Encore:

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 No. 1

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Emanuel Ax
© Kevin Leighton

'Ax and Rattle ensured that the balance between piano and orchestra were always controlled'.

'The warm, silky sound of Tim Hugh’s solo cello, combined with Ax’s delicacy ... made for an exquisite slow movement'.

'Rattle never allowed the surges of romantic passion here to get too carried away ... so that the impact of the brief passionate climax when it finally arrived was all the more powerful'.

'Rattle and the LSO, along with Ax, succeeded here in making an evening of such weighty masterpieces feel airy, uncluttered and suitably uplifting, a true pleasure to experience'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Something special in the air: Rattle and the LSO in energetic Sibelius 5

© Mark Allan/Barbican

Janine Jansen (violin)

Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

London Symphony Orchestra

Wednesday 19 September, 2018

Barbican Hall, London

★★★★★

Janáček: Sinfonietta, Op. 60

Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No.1 Op. 35

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82

'A fine example of live performance in every sense, and it was evident that ... the orchestra was having a ball'. 

'Janine Jansen, from the violin’s first solo entry, was in command of this tricky piece', with 'impressive focus and intensity of tone'.

'Rattle and the LSO ... gave this a freshness and energetic spirit such that one was made to listen anew throughout'.

'A highly exciting whirlwind of a rendition'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Mahler to remember - Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle's London residency concludes

© Monika Ritterhaus

Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmoniker concluded their London residency with two performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, 'Resurrection', with soloists Kate Royal (soprano) and Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano), the London Symphony Chorus and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (Chorus Director: Simon Halsey).  The orchestra began the concert with Helmut Lachenmann's (b.1935) Tableau for orchestra.


Royal Festival Hall, Sunday 15 February 2015.






'We were rewarded with a performance to be remembered for some time to come.'

'The choral focus and precision was stunning, with every word still crystal clear, with total commitment and energy for their final climax.'

© Monika Ritterhaus

'A fitting conclusion to a triumphant residency from Sir Simon and the Berliner Philharmoniker.'

Read my full review here.