Ottawa Symphony Orchestra: Mahler 9th

Courtesy of a Groupon offer last week, I went to see the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra (OSO) on 26th November in their performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony. This was my first OSO performance (as well as my first Mahler 9th performance) and I was suitably impressed both by the quality of the performance and by the turnout.

In a related event, the Austrian Embassy had set up a small display about artist Gustav Klimt in the NAC foyer, introduced by incoming ambassador Arno Riedel. There were around 10 themed boards with information in English and German about various aspects of Klimt's life and career. Small but nonetheless a nice complimentary touch to the evening. In addition to the Klimt display, a very informative pre-concert chat by David Gardner provided an excellent introduction.

I didn't really notice the length of the Symphony as the music was so intense and descriptive. Even just the first movement was like the telling of a story and it was clear how many subsequent composers (including film scores) have been influenced by Mahler. A lot has been written about Mahler's health problems and fears about death during this period, but I found the symphony to have quite a lot of hope and humour in it as well. The second and third movements (two humourous discourses on Ländler and counterpoint) were followed by a slow final movement which was more melancholy in comparison, almost as the conclusion of a long and meandering story.

The OSO's performance was warmly received and certainly deserved.

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