Redemptive Mahler 2 from Myung-whun Chung and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul

At the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall, Maestro Myung-whun Chung conducted the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s monumental Symphony no. 2, “Resurrection”. Rarely has a symphonic work so fully captured the passage from life to death to redemption, spanning existential despair and ultimate transcendence. Mahler’s vast canvas merges psychological and spiritual contours, drawing parallels to a Möbius strip that unites mortal and eternal realms. The evening’s performance sparked keen interest in how Chung’s longstanding interpretative insights would shape this multi-layered masterpiece, given his history with Mahler’s repertoire.

In the overall framework, Chung’s reading did not differ drastically from his DG recording with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. What stood out, however, was a more organic tempo, granting the music greater spaciousness and maturity. Yet moments of loosened ensemble control occasionally surfaced, suggesting both refinement and slight slackness. The first movement’s heaviness and solemnity, led by the lower strings, conjured Mahler’s sense of an inescapable abyss. But occasional lapses blurred Chung’s vision, and the orchestral texture did not always coalesce seamlessly. Mahler’s crucial “question” in this opening movement – which sets the stage for the finale’s “answer” – lacked clarity, diminishing the fifth movement’s overarching momentum.

Stability returned in the second and third movements, as the orchestra regained confidence and clarity. Particularly striking was the offstage horn in the third, which emerged with an otherworldly sense of distance that momentarily halted time. One glimpsed the conductor’s theatrical awareness in the lightly blended orchestral sonority, overlain by a horn timbre seemingly free of physical bounds. This brief but potent moment underscored Mahler’s flair for drama, despite his philosophical leanings.

In the fourth movement, Urlicht, mezzo-soprano Danbi Lee emerged as one of the evening’s most memorable voices, illuminating the text’s radiant spirituality. Her focused, resonant timbre conveyed a strikingly personal sincerity, distinct from the more imposing interpretations often heard. By articulating the text with clarity and restraint, Lee captured the spiritual essence of Urlicht, intensifying the hush before the monumental finale.

In the fifth movement, as the orchestra and chorus surged toward Mahler’s grand conclusion, earlier uncertainties reappeared, though they never fully derailed the performance’s momentum. Ensemble precision briefly faltered, compromising the crystalline interplay needed for Mahler’s multivalent polyphony. Though Chung’s expansive pacing effectively forged dramatic peaks, it sometimes struggled to maintain structural cohesion. Nonetheless, the final climax was undeniably overwhelming, as chorus, soloists, and orchestra filled the hall with exhilarating heat and evoked fervent applause.

Chung’s proclivity for a declamatory, orator-like approach invariably divides opinion. Some critics argue his style compresses Mahler’s multifaceted perspectives into a single linear narrative. Yet the composer’s innate dramatic energy often emerges even in strongly personalised interpretations, asserting itself in unexpected ways. In a work bearing the title Resurrection, one could also maintain that an unapologetically sweeping approach immerses listeners in its universal drama.

In adapting Klopstock’s original text for the final movement, Mahler shifted focus from a specifically Christian notion of posthumous grace to a more universal experience of regeneration. True to that spirit, Chung all but declared, “Even with a few stumbles along the way, we have arrived at our resurrection.” It was reminiscent of Korean poet Ki Hyung-do’s Vineyard Graveyard II, where he writes, “Ask not why you cannot be utterly wretched here; for God has taught us that purchasing the right to suffer for ourselves is a law of beauty.” So it seemed in this performance: despite its imperfections, the ultimate sense of redemption prevailed.