United States Mahler, Symphony No.7: Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden (conductor). Symphony Center, Chicago, 19.4.2025. (JLZ)
In his study of Mahler’s life and works, Michael Kennedy (Mahler, 1974; rev. 1990) called attention to the demands implicit in the score of the Symphony No.7, which are best addressed when the conductor and orchestra work well together. This was the case at this concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where Jaap van Zweden demonstrated his mastery of the score and his acumen at the podium.
Van Zweden set the tone in the opening measures with a solid accompanying figure in the strings for the tenor-horn solo at the beginning of the first movement. The plaintive solo rang through the hall effortlessly. As the movement continued, van Zweden shaped the entrances as the motives and cells arose from the orchestra. Without exaggerating the dynamic levels as some conductors do with Mahler, the volume levels emerged easily within the focus that van Zweden brought to the score. The performance evinced precision and intensity as the movement developed with keen attention to the tone colors that distinguish it. Van Zweden brought out the musical logic which found a final expression in the coda that brought the movement to a conclusion.
The second movement, Nachtmusik I, benefited from van Zweden’s efforts to bring out the work’s character. The performing space of Symphony Center served the sonic architecture of the movement with the range of dynamics that are essential, and distant, offstage sounds could be heard as distinctly as the ones on stage. The horns were particularly effective here with stylish entrances that brought their colors into the ensemble smoothly. Van Zweden was attentive to the character of the Scherzo by allowing subtle entrances at the opening of the movement to support the schattenhaft marking that Mahler indicated. The popular-sounding themes were integrated fully into the fabric of the movement without sounding garish or out of character. In a sense, this movement characterized the entire performance which reflected a shared vision between conductor and performers. This unity was evident in the last measure where the percussive final gesture resonated clearly.
In the fourth movement, Nachtmusik II, some may question the use of guitar instead of mandolin, but the result was a good blending that fitted well into the interpretation of the work. The strings were at their best, with inner voices, like the viola, adding to the textures of this romantic-sounding movement. Van Zweden allowed the ideas to flow, and it climaxed satisfactorily before the lingering chords of the concluding section died away.
The short break before the Rondo Finale was perfect for the extroverted music in the timpani which rang clearly and set the stage for the fanfares that followed. Just as van Zweden gave shape to the first movement, his vision and drive characterized the Finale: each section was distinct, entrances were precise and shifts of tone colors convincing. The pacing kept the movement from losing direction, and it became a means of propelling the performance forward. Van Zweden’s ear for timbres was evident in the repeated sections which each had their own sounds, and an exemplary blending emerged in the triumphant conclusion.
It was one of the finest performances of the season, and those attending the Mahler Festival in the Netherlands in May will have the opportunity of experiencing it then.
James L. Zychowicz