Under their Principal Conductor Gemma New, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra gave an account of Mahler’s Symphony no. 6 that is certainly one of the most memorable performances of her tenure with the orchestra so far. A key feature of New’s Mahler is the ability to keep everything cohesive across the long span of the works. This is not to say there was any suppression of variety or contrast that is inherent in the music; indeed, these contrasts were delineated superbly on the whole, but each section – and each movement – felt part of the whole, no matter how superficially disparate.
Another characteristic of New’s interpretations is their relative restraint. The subtitle “Tragic” may not have been sanctioned by the composer, but there is little doubt of the predominant mood of this music. While some conductors may self-consciously try to wring even more anguish from it, to lurch or wallow their way through it, New’s approach is to point out rather than underline the tragedy, conversely also allowing the light to shine through alongside the dark.
The first movement began with its march-like rhythms given with implacable force, New and the orchestra certainly not afraid to lay bare the brutality. There was momentum behind the tempi, strong rhythmic impetus without being hard-driven. Strings then soared through the ascending so-called “Alma theme” (supposedly representing the composer’s wife), New pulling back slightly to allow them the space to create a moment of light here. She brought further intensity to the repeat of the first subject, a tightening of the despair.
This performance adhered to the order of movements laid out in the original published score, placing the Scherzo before the Andante. The kinship with the first movement was clear in the jagged rhythms, but there was a difference. This time it was twisted with a sense of irony, a mockery when the music turns playful. Some delicately lovely violin solos from concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen played up the bucolic nature of those parts of the Trio sections. The orchestra showed its skill here, negotiating the tricky rhythmic turns Mahler built into the music.
An inward and reflective mood permeated the Andante slow movement. New pointed up the ambivalence of this music, lush string harmonies leading through minor mode grief into clashing harmonies. There was also a whisper of kitsch in certain moments but New never allowed it to descend into wallowing, keeping the tempo moving. Particularly memorable was the luminous dialogue between the two harps.
New handled Mahler’s strong emotional contrasts, between torment and ecstasy, superbly, giving the audience the full measure of both. The percussion section was merciless in the opening moments, and New’s interpretation kept the drama to the forefront without exaggeration. The jangling of the offstage bells was suitably disconcerting. This movement famously features two heavy hammer blows. In the lead-up to the concert, the media had featured the ingenuity of the percussion section in rigging up a box that, when struck with a hammer, would produce a suitably dull thud to represent the inexorable blows of fate. The hammer strikes were mighty but more so was the inexorable logic and momentum that led up to them in New’s conception. Even beyond, New maintained the tension all the way through to a quiet finish that was somehow as beautiful as it was bleak.
