Amid something of a Liverpudlian gale outside the Philharmonic Hall, the RLPO thundered through an utterly compelling account of Mahler 5 after Julian Bliss found plenty to say about Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.

Robert Trevino's Mahler 5 managed the admirable feat of capturing every vivid detail of the score in high-definition while also sticking to an unfailingly coherent script which seemed to place every paragraph of the huge symphony in its rightful proportions. The early signs were very favourable, with trumpeter Rhys Owens giving an immaculate account of the formidable opening solo. The section played exceptionally well throughout the symphony, as did the trombones, creating a very direct, bright sound and never shying away (especially in the bass trombone and tuba) from visceral, rasping fortissimos. The first movement unfolded with bleak crispness in the tread of the funeral march, but its darkness was quickly eclipsed by the second. Attacked without pause, Mahler's call for playing of “utmost vehemence” was honoured with great passion. A hauntingly delicate cello intervention was so painstakingly crafted as to offer little respite from the emotional torrent of the movement, which easily formed the emotional heart of the symphony. The Scherzo, by contrast, was a more bucolic affair, led along in its lilting step by some fine horn solos. There were moments of angst, and Trevino stormed through the last bars with a hearty flourish, but the dark world of the second movement remained dominant.
The Adagietto proved to be more a Molto adagio at an exceptionally slow pace, which the strings made the most of in utilising the long spaces between notes to build a richly resonant sound. As in the Mozart, the most moving moment was the scarcely audible pianissimo recapitulation. The finale then dawned as a crisp and bright morning, steadily finding itself in its long search for resolution. Woodwinds played with hearty character and timpani roared, but Trevino did an admirable job of keeping his sights firmly on the final peroration of the chorale which closes the symphony. It came with a thrilling pull-back in tempo and subsequent acceleration through the last pages.