THE SONG OF THE
EARTH
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra had in their
Helsinki Festival concert two themes. The theme of the first half was re-found
masterpieces. First of them, were the interludes of the opera “The Nose” by
Dmitry Shostakovich. The interludes were first performed this year in Germany
and they definitely made you feel good. They were playful and the set of
instruments used was interesting: an organ, a balalaika, a horn etc.
The second piece was
Igor Stravinsky’s “Funeral Song” that he composed after the death of his mentor
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The piece was found in 2015. It was a beautiful,
sorrowful and very Russian work.
The highlight of the
concert was, however, Gustav Mahler’s “The Song of the Earth” that was
performed after the intermission. The soloists were Burkhard Fritz (tenor) and
Gerhild Romberger (alto). The work consists of six songs, text of which is from
adaptations of 8th century Chinese poems. Each song has its own
ambiance and they show the whole scale of feelings. My personal favourites of
the songs were “The Lonely One in Autumn” and “The Farewell”.
What can I say about
the soloists? Well, I absolutely fell in love with Gerhild Romberger. Her voice
was magnificent, has a huge range and she has absolutely gorgeous, bright high
notes. I was really wondering, how can an alto sound like this. When you add to
the beautiful voice also subtle interpretation, the result is supreme. I was
enraptured after the concert and I would love to hear Romberger sing again.
The conductor Susanna
Mälkki with the Helsinki Philharmonic orchestra also did well. It was a pleasure
to follow Mälkki’s work. She was practically dancing in some parts of the
evening. Even a layman could sense what kind of effect she wanted the orchestra
to create.
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| Mälkki, Romberger, Burkhard |
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