BBC Proms 2022: Prom 49 - Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Alder / Connolly / CBSO Chorus / LS Chorus / LSO / Rattle)

24th August 2022
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BIRTWISTLE Donum Simoni MMXVIII
MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Louise Alder (soprano)
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)
CBSO Chorus
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)



Simon Rattle. LSO. Mahler 2. Do I really need to write this post? This line-up brought down the RAH website this morning and rammed the arena in the evening. Spoiler alert: full house standing ovation. M2 was one of the first symphonies I loved and bought the score to study and, to this day, every listen of M2 is still a transcendental experience. It's the 90-minute journey from anguish to release that does the musical magic, and is perhaps the most tuneful Mahler symphony as well. Obviously, all the Rattle and LSO hallmarks were there, the rich orchestral colours, the nuanced phrasing, the big drama, and it was a significantly more powerful performance than his CBSO recording. Fabulous woodwinds and brass - all there - what's not to love? The thing that bugged me, and it's probably just entirely personal preference, was that he milked the orchestral playing so much, which were instantaneously exciting, that it became tedious to hear at that level of intensity on the large scale. II and III just dragged on and on and I started to feel numb halfway. Sarah Connolly and Louise Alder were wondrous, and the CBSO and LS choruses were exceptional in V. Simon Halsey rehearsed them so well they sang without sheet music and, joining in at ppp with such purity, they immediately transformed the scene. To me, the choir was the game-changer. The finale was proper tear-jerking stuff. It's always difficult to tick all the boxes in Mahler. Whatever complaint one has, it was still hands down an exceptional performance. This Prom was also dedicated to the late Harrison Birtwistle and the programme started with a 3-minute piece by Birtwistle dedicated to Rattle, named, literally, "Donum Simoni MMXVIII". Don't get it, don't ask me, but the speech beforehand was very moving.