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The Tonhalle Zürich performs a major work by American composer John Adams alongside the first of Gustav Mahler’s great symphonies. 

As Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 9 ground to a halt last Thursday night, cellos and basses trailing off into silence, a few things came into focus. First, there was no missing the irony that Philip Glass, once among the outsiders of the musical world, should nearly a half century later find himself one of the American school of composition's most revered composers; perhaps its dean.

Une soirée riche en couleurs et en textures, même si la Première Symphonie de Mahler a parfois souffert d'un excès de décibels, après un Concerto d'Adams engagé mais pas tout à fait convaincant.

Etaient réunies sur ce programme, trois grandes figures (Ravel, Holst, Adam) alliant l’invitation au voyage, une rythmique multiple et une innovation compositionnelle certaine.