Gilbert Tempts Fate

Mahler's Sixth Symphony is an all-consuming and epic symphony. Hearing the New York Philharmonic's performance under Alan Gilbert last Thursday was truly memorable.

From the moment of the first down beat I began to sense a theme that would run throughout Gilbert's interpretation of the work. The performance was stately and the rhythms deliberate. Everything felt very precise which ultimately added to the symphony's rhythmic drive. The exactness did not however take away from any expressive interpretation. The mellower and sweeter sections of the music were quite delicate.

Mahler has the ability to express what seems like every emotion and keep the listener on a musical journey. Even when the music seems to settle down, harmonies shift and suddenly the listener feels in a different state. The vast amounts of colors and textures that Mahler draws from the orchestra are of course aided by the size of the instrumentation. Yet Mahler is still one of the best orchestrators in history. He knew how to reap the soul of every instrument in the orchestra.

The last movement of the piece had the greatest effect on me personally. The music is so contemplative and emotional. You can see perhaps Mahler's own inner struggle for happiness. The most memorable part of the piece is certainly the hammer! I learned from the program note by Alan Gilbert that originally there were 3 hammer hits, but Mahler took one out in a revised edition. He was scared of tempting fate as 3 is an omnipresent number in the traditional story of the hero. The hammer is not resonant, but is just a momentary blast of sound. You could see some audience members startled in their seats. What was interesting was that if you were watching the musicians, they prepared for it by covering their ears so you knew it was coming. Even still, the effect of it was tremendous! It also allowed for a shift in harmony and texture to make the musical moment all the more effective. Mr. Gilbert didn't actually say in his program note whether this performance would have 2 or 3 hammer hits. The 3rd one was actually the most musically satisfying for me. It felt perfect for that point in the music. I'm glad Gilbert kept it in...even if he was tempting fate...