Mahler’s seventh symphony, which dates from 1904/5 has more colours in its palette than Joseph’s famous coat so it’s a terrific instrumental showcase – almost a concerto for orchestra. Its problem, and perhaps the reason, it has never achieved quite the popularity of, say his fifth and eighth symphonies, is that it doesn’t really hang together. It feels more like a suite of five pieces, all of them compelling, but each one making an independent statement. Not that this matters in the least when Berlin Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko are in the excellent form they brought to this Prom – and, incidentally, what a joy to see them back here once more.
They entered formally at the beginning to a long round of applause. None of the shuffling on at random favoured by most British orchestra for this famous German band. When I was a little girl I read The Observer’s Book of Musical Instruments – a lot. It included a “map” of how an orchestra is seated as if it were immutable. How interesting it is, I thought, as I watched the Berlin Phil’s second violins settling in opposite the firsts and the cellos next to the firsts that these days there are many ways of seating an orchestra as there are orchestras and conductors.
Petrenko gave us lots of textural silkiness in the opening adagio as we worked through all those mood and tempo changes with sombre melodies led by unlikely instruments such as solo trombone. The first, 30 minute, movement is intensely demanding both in terms of technical skill and stamina but of course that was no problem for this orchestra.
Immaculately clean and clear horn motifs in hunting mode dominated the second movement. And the impeccably articulated avian sounds from the woodwind and percussive pizzicato from the strings created a complete change of mood for this “Nachtmusik” section. Petrenko also had fun with the soupy little tune (Mahler meets Eric Coates) in the strings which follows.
We then got all the required mystery in the high octane scherzo with Petrnko bent almost double to stress the music’s many quirky contrasts.
The fourth movement – also badged “Nachtmusik” – features unusual instrumentation including guitar and mandolin. The guitarist, Matthew Hunter, emerged from the back of the violas and returned there at the end of the movement. Petrenko carefully brought each group in and made sure we heard every note of the tiny, tinny sound of the mandolin.
And so to the magnificent, magisterial finale complete with tam tam and all seven percussionists simultaneously very busy with bells and more. Petrenko played up the varying moods and colours with lots of dynamic power and his attention to the big breath before the final chord made a fitting climax. No wonder half the audience immediately leapt to its feet.
A single work 75 minute concert, this was – surely – one of the highlights of the 2022 Prom season.
Susan Elkin