Prom 14: Monday 25th July at 7.30 p.m. (Mahler 9)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Presented by Penny Gore

Mahler's last completed symphony, and one he never lived to hear, is brought to life in the Royal Albert Hall by Sir Roger Norrington in one of his final concerts as Principal Conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held for 13 years.

The Ninth Symphony was a work written at a time of personal crisis for Mahler, following the death of his daughter Maria, the loss of his job at the Vienna Court Opera and the diagnosis of his own heart disease. Musically, however, while allusions to death abound, ultimately the work fades into peaceful resignation; as Alban Berg described it: "it expresses an extraordinary love of the earth, of nature, the longing to live in peace, to enjoy it completely to the very heart of one's being, before death comes, as irresistibly it does".

Mahler: Symphony No. 9

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR)
Sir Roger Norrington (conductor)

[Brassbandmaestro]

I do find that Sir Roger Norrington's way is rather circumspect. Like bringing in period performance practice etc. Have to wait and see!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Circumspect? I would say utterly misguided. Following his wrecking of Elgar 1 in 2008 with his reinvention of the facts regarding performance practice, I don't want to listen to this performance. Mahler 9 is too great a work to be ruined. Going back to the Elgar, the orchestra sounded so week and whiney that the Tupton Hall School Orchestra of the 1980s was vastly superior.

[amateur51]

Norrington's recording of Mahler symphony no 9 with Stuttgart RSO is available to listen to free on Spotify, should you have a (unbiased) mind to

[Brassbandmaestro]

I will be avoiding this prom EA!!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Norrington's recording of Mahler symphony no 9 with Stuttgart RSO is available to listen to free on Spotify, should you have a (unbiased) mind to

Just how many Norrington performances to you have to listen to in order to be granted permission to pass the "unbiased" test? This ain't bias - it's experience.

[amateur51]

Just how many Norrington performances to you have to listen to in order to be granted permission to pass the "unbiased" test? This ain't bias - it's experience.

I think it relates more to your highly repetitious opinions as expressed beautifully in msg 3, EA

[pilamenon]

Circumspect? I would say utterly misguided. Following his wrecking of Elgar 1 in 2008 with his reinvention of the facts regarding performance practice, I don't want to listen to this performance. Mahler 9 is too great a work to be ruined. Going back to the Elgar, the orchestra sounded so week and whiney that the Tupton Hall School Orchestra of the 1980s was vastly superior.

What nonsense. Far from "wrecking" Elgar 1, Norrington simply brought a fresh perspective to the work, and I found his interpretation beautiful. Hopefully he'll do the same for Mahler 9. This was a must-see for me, but have had to give the ticket away due to other commitments next week, so it's a must-listen instead.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think it relates more to your highly repetitious opinions as expressed beautifully in msg 3, EA

My opinions are not nearly as repetitious as Norrington's inaccurate claims about his way being what the composers would have expected. I would respect him more if just admitted that he likes it better when played his way. I respect honesty, just as I respect Philemanon's admiration of Norrington's performances. I don't respect those who attempt to rewrite history.

[pilamenon]

Yes, I'm certainly far more interested in what Norrington's music-making sounds like, than what he says about it, which often comes across as dogmatic and perhaps explains why some react against him. However, when interviewed by Lebrecht last year, he seemed to have mellowed a bit.