{"id":35419,"date":"2016-03-22T15:36:22","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T19:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=35419"},"modified":"2016-03-22T16:38:41","modified_gmt":"2016-03-22T20:38:41","slug":"scrutiny-superb-das-lied-von-der-erde-at-the-university-of-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/03\/22\/scrutiny-superb-das-lied-von-der-erde-at-the-university-of-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Superb Das Lied von der Erde At The University of Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Toronto Faculty of Music presents an evening of works with soloists Andrew Haji (tenor) and Megan Quick (mezzo-soprano).<\/h3>\n
\"Megan
Megan Quick, Andrew Haji; (Photos: Daniel Denino\/Veronika Roux)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U of T Music | Faculty Artist Ensemble With Megan Quick (mezzo-soprano, Andrew Haji (tenor); March 21 at Walter Hall.<\/h3>\n

Gustav Mahler composed Das Lied<\/em> 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<\/em>, 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.\u00a0 None other than the American conductor\/composer Leonard Bernstein called Das Lied<\/em> Mahler\u2019s greatest symphony, high praise for this work given that Mahler composed nine symphonies.<\/p>\n

Das Lied<\/em> is a cycle I know well; any performance of it for me is an occasion. It\u2019s a real challenge for the soloists given the size of the orchestra and the (at times) dense scoring. It\u2019s 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 \u201cAbschied\u201d 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\u2019ve come to appreciate the chamber version for its transparency and clarity. For one thing, the singers don\u2019t have to push so hard. And there\u2019s the argument that a more austere texture of sound is more appropriate to the text, particularly the last song.<\/p>\n

Last evening\u2019s performance by the University of Toronto Faculty Artist Ensemble under the baton of Uri Mayer was really very good.\u00a0\u00a0 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<\/em> is really in the singing, and we had two of the best young singers. \u00a0Tenor Andrew Haji ventured outside his fach<\/em> with this piece, which is decidedly in Heldentenor territory. \u201cDas Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde\u201d and \u201cDer Trunkene im Fruhling\u201d are very demanding vocally, with sustained, high tessitura. I\u2019ve 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\u2019t have the typical Heldentenor<\/em> heft. He might sound under-powered in a big symphony hall. \u00a0To be sure, it was a heavy workout, judging by the beads of perspiration on his forehead after the first song! \u00a0His 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.<\/p>\n

The second soloist was mezzo Megan Quick, whom I\u2019ve 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!\u00a0 In addition to Das Lied<\/em>, she also sang the opening piece, \u201cLied der Waldtaube,\u201d a 10-minute solo from Schoenberg\u2019s Gurrelieder<\/em>, an early work that\u2019s a good example of what Sir Simon Rattle refers to as \u201cexpanded tonality\u201d in Leaving Home<\/em>, his documentary on 20th-century music.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Her three alto solos in Das Lied<\/em> were beautifully sung as well, a few fleeting moments of flatness notwithstanding. \u00a0\u201cAbschied\u201d is my favourite part of the cycle, a very sad piece set to deeply felt text. It\u2019s also very long, lasting almost 30 minutes. By then, there were some signs of tiring by the mezzo who had the lion\u2019s 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 \u2013 Quick joins the COC Ensemble Studio next season, while former Ensemble tenor Haji returns as a guest artist, singing Tamino in Die Zauberfloete<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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