United States Mahler, Symphony No.6 in A minor: Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden (conductor). Symphony Center, Chicago, 8.5.2025. (JLZ)
Jaap van Zweden delivered a virtuosic performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.6 just days before his European tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which will include this work and the composer’s Symphony No.7. The focus here was laser-like from the start, with the energetic opening of the Allegro leading well into the first theme. The string section was thoroughly cohesive, and its rich textures resonated throughout Symphony Center. Horns were notable for their precision, tuning and nuanced timbres, and trumpets and the rest of the brass evinced a similar tone, with the woodwinds notable for their exemplary style.
Van Zweden’s insights were evident in the definition he gave to each section of the first movement as the structure took shape audibly. Transitions worked well, and secondary elements like dynamics and articulations gave the effect that the composer had intended in his carefully annotated score. Quick but not rushed, this reading had a drive that led to a convincing recapitulation and, ultimately, the breathtaking conclusion at the end of the coda.
With the tone set in the first movement, the Scherzo followed with equally persuasive style. The accents and dynamics at the beginning of the Scherzo gave a sense of cross rhythms that resolved when the thematic ideas entered. The movement was striking for the deft articulation of rhythms that led to the well-executed passages in the xylophone. Here, as elsewhere, the percussion demonstrated its acumen in fitting into the ensemble and enhancing it, and the woodwinds offered a tight group that drew listeners into the colorful textures. Details that blur with less disciplined orchestras added to the effect so that the lowest pitches in the contrabassoon and the upper ones in the piccolo were clear. The echo of a traditional dance tune emerged readily in the strings (Altväterisch) with the gracefulness the composer intended.
Similarly, the Andante moderato had its own clearly defined sound from the start, as the pianissimo opening called attention to the piece. The string playing was masterful, and van Zweden’s expressive conducting allowed the lines to resound with ease. As much as the mood of this movement contrasted with the previous ones, van Zweden never lost sight of the piece’s shape, and its sublime moments were capped with the sound of cowbells which added to the overall effect. The result was a cohesiveness that seemed, at some points, to make time pause, so that the audience could indulge in the unique sonorities which Mahler conceived for the movement.
Allowing a few moments for the sounds of the Andante to dissipate, van Zweden followed with a solid reading of the Finale. The orchestra was with him from the start, and runs in the harps soared above the resounding pitches in the low strings, a gesture that set the stage for the ascending line in the first violins. The timpani strokes were articulated with precision as the decrescendo concluded the opening section and set the stage for the theme in the solo tuba. The intensity that van Zweden brought to the opening continued with pacing that allowed the ideas to play out within the logic of Mahler’s score. As to the well-known hammer stroke, both instances in this reading were done without the histrionics some bring to a performance and instead blended effectively into the music. The concluding section received the full measure of sound at van Zweden’s hands and then proceeded with the spare scoring of the coda. The conclusion was electrifying.
Details like this underscored the intensity that made Mahler’s Sixth Symphony one of the finest events of the season. It is no surprise that this work and the composer’s Symphony No.7 are the two pieces for the Chicago Symphony’s European tour in May.
James Zychowicz
Featured Image: Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jaap van Zweden in Symphony Center © Todd Rosenberg Photography