BaL 7.01.23 - Mahler: Symphony no. 6 in A minor

[richardfinegold]

I have rarely attended performances of this work, but retain a vivid memory from a 2008 Prom (CSO/Haitink) of Cynthia Yeh, the orchestra's principal percussionist, attacking a large wooden dais with an outsized mallet. The accuracy and ferocity with which this slender lady performed her task was such that she practically levitated, producing a fearsome, doom-laden thud which is surely what the composer intended.

I witnessed the same when Haitink led the work here years ago. Her husband Bruce is the orchestra principal clarinet. I guess it’s a good thing he doesn’t play the tuba because it would be hard to imagine where the two of them would store those space occupying instruments in their home

[Maclintick]

I witnessed the same when Haitink led the work here years ago. Her husband Bruce is the orchestra principal clarinet. I guess it’s a good thing he doesn’t play the tuba because it would be hard to imagine where the two of them would store those space occupying instruments in their home

It's a nice image, Richard, but are you telling me the CSO doesn't have its own temperature/humidity-controlled instrument store !?

[EnemyoftheStoat]

It's a nice image, Richard, but are you telling me the CSO doesn't have its own temperature/humidity-controlled instrument store !?

Well, they must have somewhere, given the limited size of the average house in the USA...

[Maclintick]

Well, they must have somewhere, given the limited size of the average house in the USA...

True enough, but I think you must mean the average house-size afforded to a middle-class wage-earner in the USA, aa opposed to here. This was very apparent when I last visited almost 30 years ago, but I'm sure the gap has widened considerably since -- Oops, departure into Politics -- hope I don't get banned....

[Roger Webb]

I have rarely attended performances of this work, but retain a vivid memory from a 2008 Prom (CSO/Haitink) of Cynthia Yeh, the orchestra's principal percussionist, attacking a large wooden dais with an outsized mallet. The accuracy and ferocity with which this slender lady performed her task was such that she practically levitated, producing a fearsome, doom-laden thud which is surely what the composer intended.

Yes, I remember that Proms perf....the only other 6th I've been to live was at the Colston Hall, Bristol conducted by Norman del Mar (author of one of the most detailed studies on the 6th, pub. Eulenburg Edition) and Bournemouth SO (I think), and they required two percussionists to operate the 'instrument' for the hammer blows. It consisted of one holding a railway sleeper sized plank of wood 3 feet off the ground at one end and the other slamming down with his foot at the given signal, the assistant making sure his toes were well clear as he let go!

[akiralx]

The only time I heard the work live was by the Australian Youth Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder.

The three hammer blows were played by a strapping six foot youth with an enormous mallet striking a wooden object (I couldn't see clearly), giving a satisfying fortissimo crash - it wavered slightly the first time he lifted it over his head, so the trombones were in danger of receiving severe blunt force trauma… it certainly jolted a few of the audience, many of whom were parents and siblings of the performers and probably not avid Mahlerians. The subsequent times he picked it up a frisson of tension palpably went through the audience.

[oliver sudden]

Yes, I remember that Proms perf....the only other 6th I've been to live was at the Colston Hall, Bristol conducted by Norman del Mar (author of one of the most detailed studies on the 6th, pub. Eulenburg Edition) and Bournemouth SO (I think), and they required two percussionists to operate the 'instrument' for the hammer blows. It consisted of one holding a railway sleeper sized plank of wood 3 feet off the ground at one end and the other slamming down with his foot at the given signal, the assistant making sure his toes were well clear as he let go!

I like this very much since whoever had this idea clearly had their mind on the sound rather than the visuals!

Although I obviously have no idea whether it sounded any good.

[oliver sudden]

Well, they must have somewhere, given the limited size of the average house in the USA...

I can state with some confidence that very few percussionists in established orchestras need to keep their instruments at home! Getting a bass drum on a tram is no fun.

[Roger Webb]

I like this very much since whoever had this idea clearly had their mind on the sound rather than the visuals!

Although I obviously have no idea whether it sounded any good.

The 'sound' (although the fundamental was so low we 'felt' it!) was tremendous! I'm surprised we don't see/hear it more often.

Del Mar in Eulenburg tells us '.....sledge-hammers, heavy mallets of all kinds have been tried, and what they are brought down upon has ranged from great wooden blocks to the very orchestral platform itself'. This was written in 1980, and the perf. I mentioned him conducting only just after that c '82, so maybe the idea was the percussionist(s).

I cannot now remember what Tennstedt used in the '86 proms perf....so it obviously wasn't the main point of that stunning concert!

[richardfinegold]

Cynthia Yeh was interviewed in a radio documentary here after the death of Pierre Boulez, who was a Principal Guest conductor here for many years. She especially lauded Boulez for being very concerned and spending time working with her on the percussion tuning. She stated most Conductors never address it. Ever since hearing that bit I try to pay some attention to this, particularly in concerts, but I have to admit I wouldn’t be able to tell when they are not tuned properly.
My first concert of M6 was the Aspen Music Festival, probably 15 years ago, with James Conlon conducting the Festival Orchestra and giving a pre concert talk, the majority of which seemed to focus on the hammer blows (2 or 3 seemed to be Conlon preoccupation, with most of the rest of the talk about Scherzo-Andante). I think that there were 2 players handling the thing

[Sir Velo]

That sounds like Boulez to be so fastidious about tuning. I always recall his remark about Xenakis: "Brilliant mind, absolutely no ear"!