Richard Barnes

It was with a sense of anticipation that I arrived at the Jacobs Music Center on Friday, October 4. Not only was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 my favorite piece of music, once upon a time, I had never heard it performed in person before. In addition to all that, I was amped up to hear the San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus sing at the conclusion of this masterpiece. To my knowledge, this was the first professionally auditioned chorus that the San Diego Symphony Orchestra has presented with a Masterworks Concert.

Before the Mahler there was Thomas Larcher and his composition Time.  Modern music and all of its elements continue to exist on a plane beyond my comprehension. Perhaps it makes sense on the astral plane but in the here and now I continue to be perplexed.

The piece is an exploration of time but I didn’t get how it accomplished that. However, about a third of the way through there was some rather lovely music that developed in a way I could understand. During the intermission, I eavesdropped on some of the conversations around me. For the most part, my neighbors didn’t get it either. 

I think the inclusion of this piece was unnecessary. With the addition of an intermission the evening stretched to almost two-and-a-half hours. Mahler’s Second could have been presented effectively as the only piece on the concert.

Some thirty years ago, I was all about Mahler’s Second. I proselytized friends and family. I made my dad listen to the entire thing, at volume 11, in the confines of my cramped dorm room. I tracked down composition majors and forced them to listen to the conclusion, also at volume 11. I had the thing memorized from start to finish but it was never scheduled in San Diego. I finally had my chance to hear it performed and it did not disappoint.

In the past, this piece was all about the outer movements. The inner three movements were side dishes of boiled vegetables that Mahler forced me to eat before giving me the flamming entre in the conclusion. On this night the inner movements delighted my aging soul. The second movement was a welcome respite after the tortured sufferings of the first movement. The third movement was all rambunctious fun while the fourth movement was a calm and deep reflecting pool.

Contralto Anna Larsson floated onto stage near the conclusion of the third movement to sing to the “Urlicht” text of the fourth movement. Ms. Larsson’s comportment and bearing were regal and her singing followed suit.

The final six minutes of the performance were as glorious as I’ve ever experienced in San Diego. The chorus was spectacular. The sound was full yet balanced. There was both a height and depth to the tone of the singing that all great choruses have. I found my eyes getting a bit moist as they opened it up and matched the sonic outpouring of the orchestra in the concluding bars of the piece.

This performance set a new standard of excellence for choral masterpieces at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra.