SCRUTINY | Superb Das Lied von der Erde At The University of Toronto

Joseph So

10 years ago

The University of Toronto Faculty of Music presents an evening of works with soloists Andrew Haji (tenor) and Megan Quick (mezzo-soprano).

Megan Quick, Andrew Haji; (Photos: Daniel Denino/Veronika Roux)

U of T Music | Faculty Artist Ensemble With Megan Quick (mezzo-soprano, Andrew Haji (tenor); March 21 at Walter Hall.

Gustav Mahler composed Das Lied in 1908-9, at a very low ebb in his life. He had just suffered the loss of his daughter, Maria, to scarlet fever, and he himself had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Struck by the transient nature of life, Mahler in a melancholy mood was drawn to Die chinesische Floete, a collection of Chinese poems translated to German. He chose four by Li Bai, considered one of the greatest of Chinese poets, plus two more by other Tang Dynasty poets and set the text in the form of a choral symphony of six songs for a large orchestra, with tenor and alto solos. Later, it was later adapted for a chamber ensemble, by Schoenberg as performed here. None other than the American conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein called Das Lied Mahler’s greatest symphony, high praise for this work given that Mahler composed nine symphonies.

Das Lied is a cycle I know well; any performance of it for me is an occasion. It’s a real challenge for the soloists given the size of the orchestra and the (at times) dense scoring. It’s particularly tough on the tenor as two of his three songs are very dramatic and very high. Not to be outdone, the contralto has the 30-minute “Abschied” that anchors the work. A good reading of this last song should touch the heart. For a very long time I preferred the big orchestral version, but in recent years, I’ve come to appreciate the chamber version for its transparency and clarity. For one thing, the singers don’t have to push so hard. And there’s the argument that a more austere texture of sound is more appropriate to the text, particularly the last song.

Last evening’s performance by the University of Toronto Faculty Artist Ensemble under the baton of Uri Mayer was really very good. He led the nineteen musicians in an unhurried, nuanced, and spacious reading, allowing all the individual instruments to shine. And everyone played faultlessly. The focal point of Das Lied is really in the singing, and we had two of the best young singers. Tenor Andrew Haji ventured outside his fach with this piece, which is decidedly in Heldentenor territory. “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” and “Der Trunkene im Fruhling” are very demanding vocally, with sustained, high tessitura. I’ve heard it many times over, and quite a few tenors have come to grief with the first song, even some of the biggest names. For Haji, it was a piece of cake. Granted, his is a lyric sound despite his good volume, as it doesn’t have the typical Heldentenor heft. He might sound under-powered in a big symphony hall. To be sure, it was a heavy workout, judging by the beads of perspiration on his forehead after the first song! His German was impressively clear, with crisp consonants. I detected the occasional uncertain pitch here and there, particularly in the more chromatic passages in the opening song, but that was all that one could criticize a very fine performance.

The second soloist was mezzo Megan Quick, whom I’ve heard previously in a few smaller things and in masterclasses. Hers is an exceptionally fine voice, a low mezzo yet capable of really solid high notes free of strain, a winning combination! In addition to Das Lied, she also sang the opening piece, “Lied der Waldtaube,” a 10-minute solo from Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, an early work that’s a good example of what Sir Simon Rattle refers to as “expanded tonality” in Leaving Home, his documentary on 20th-century music. Quick sang the Schoenberg impressively, with opulent tone, complete with a great high note at the end. She was also a touch cautious, with her eyes fixed on the maestro. Her three alto solos in Das Lied were beautifully sung as well, a few fleeting moments of flatness notwithstanding. “Abschied” is my favourite part of the cycle, a very sad piece set to deeply felt text. It’s also very long, lasting almost 30 minutes. By then, there were some signs of tiring by the mezzo who had the lion’s share of singing. But overall, it was an admirable performance by both, beautifully supported by Mayer and the chamber orchestra. The small but extremely well-behaved audience made up mostly of Faculty of Music teachers and students plus some loyal music lovers, gave the performers well-deserved ovations. Opera lovers can look forward to hearing these two singers in the future – Quick joins the COC Ensemble Studio next season, while former Ensemble tenor Haji returns as a guest artist, singing Tamino in Die Zauberfloete.

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Joseph So

Joseph So is Professor Emeritus at Trent University and Associate Editor of Opera Canada.He is also a long-time contributor to La Scena Musicale and Opera (London, UK). His interest in music journalism focuses on voice, opera as well as symphonic and piano repertoires. He appears regularly as a panel member of the Big COC Podcast.He has co-edited a book, Opera in a Multicultural World: Coloniality, Culture, Performance, published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group).