Cousens Gym was transformed into a symphony hall on Sunday, when the Tufts, Brandeis, and Wellesley University orchestras and the choirs of Tufts, Brandeis, and MIT, performed Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor - Resurrection.
Conducted by Malka Sverdlov Yaacobi, the 80-minute piece took the audience on a dramatic roller coaster. The first and last movements were the most powerful. Unknown to many, Mahler needed seven years to complete the piece, his second symphonic work. The feelings, images, and spirituality with which he infused the five movements came through in the work of the musicians and their conductor.
And despite the warm conditions and relatively poor acoustics of Cousens, the combined orchestras and choirs succeeded in performing the many rhythm, key, and dynamic changes of Resurrection with ease and fluidity.
In the first movement, allegro maestoso, Mahler places the audience at the coffin of a beloved man. His life, struggles, passions, and aspirations are brought forth through the sounds of the cellos, basses, and percussion in deep, dramatic form. Crescendos mark the peak moments of the man's life.
Flutes, bassoons and horns play the lighter, more dreamlike sections. At times, there were too many crescendos and fortes played at once, making the movement lose some of its musicality and neatness. The movement as a whole was also slow, making it feel longer than it really was. But it was evident that it was calling the audience to experience the life and death of a man.
The second movement, andante moderato, is a mix of lively and mellow music intended to recreate the happy moments from the life of the departed and the sad recollection of his youth and lost innocence. This section of the symphony is meant to convey a sense of urgency but not necessarily the same drama of the previous movement. The cellos are softer, the strings shorter and more playful. Rather than being put on edge, the audience is allowed to sit back and take in the lightness and peacefulness of the music.
In the third movement, In ruhig flie?ender Bewegung, the trumpets and horns are given a chance to shine. Introduced by the crashing sounds of the timpani, this waltz transformed Cousens into a Viennese ballroom. Ironic as it may seem, Mahler's intentions for this movement were to convey a spirit of unbelief, presumption, and despair of God. None of these emotions are clear to the audience, however, until midway through the movement.
The entrance of the two vocal soloists at the conclusion of the movement signals a turning point in the performance. Marion Dry's contralto was resonant but not as powerful as it could have been. Accompanied by the orchestra, she set the tone for the mellow, reflective, and solemn sounds of the fourth movement, Ulricht. The words of this movement ask God to grant strength and light. It is a realization that when a man is born, he is put on earth by God and in death, will return to his maker: "I am of God, and desire to return to God! God will give me a lamp, will light me unto the life of eternal bliss!"
The fifth and final movement involved all the musicians and singers. Participation by the full orchestra and chorus ended this colossal work on the same dramatic note on which it began. There is no other way to describe the emotions conveyed in this movement except to say that all hell breaks loose and the Apocalypse arrives.
"The earth trembles, graves burst open, the dead arise and step forth in endless files... the 'great summons' is heard." There were moments here - as in the first movement - when there was noise and too little musicality as everyone played at their loudest and most powerful.
The fanfare performed by several musicians on the balcony of the gym added an interesting effect to the overall sound. The end of the symphony brings the coming of God's glory and the end of judgment. The rousing and powerful voices of the chorus combined with the orchestra truly convey the arrival of God and his dominion over all the earth - similar to the emotions conveyed by Handel's Alleluja - and brought a stunning close to an ultimately impressive concert.
