Mahler Symphony No. 3 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

While I’m familiar with Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 from recordings, this was my first time hearing the concert played live, so I was curious as to what the difference would be. Put simply, the difference was astonishing.

The symphony is frequently described as ‘epic’, and the sheer size of the orchestra on the stage at the Philharmonic Hall was an indication of what was in store with an air of excited anticipation in the hall.

Lasting approximately 90 minutes, the work is divided into six movements, with the central movements bookended by monolithic first and final movements. Mahler’s aim was to reflect on man’s relationship with the natural world, and initially, each movement had a title intimating its focus. While these are useful as guides, it is perhaps better to meet the music on its own terms, and, indeed, Mahler himself later discarded the titles.

The first movement, the longest of the six, starts with the clarion call of the horns announcing the arrival of summer. The military tone is enhanced as the timpani join in. And then a pause. What follows is a movement of remarkable musical complexity where the orchestra showed its command of the huge range of dynamic breadth and where the special relationship Hindoyan has built up with the players was on clear display, moving from quiet intensity to dramatic force, with the music conveying the power of nature, light and dark, joy and grief, through changes in tempo and texture, from the almost jaunty military march to bird calls in the woodwinds and the fluttering of wings. Hindoyan managed to delineate the distinct strands while simultaneously intertwining the different layers and themes, all while maintaining clarity of tone and precision of pace. The triumphal conclusion had a filmic quality reminiscent of the end of a Hollywood musical.

The next three movements demonstrated the orchestra’s technical and emotional range. From the delicate minuet of the second movement (‘What the flowers tell me’) with the tender lyricism of the formal dance tempo and a light, almost playful tone, maintained throughout, then the folkloric tone of the third (‘What the animals in the forest tell me’) with the simplicity of the post horn played off stage contrasting with multiple layers of the rustic elements.

The fourth movement (‘What man tells me’) gave us the stunning voice of mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, a previous member of the Philharmonic choir and former BBC New Generation artist. The rich, honey tone of her voice had both the depth and range to convey the text of Nietzsche’s ‘Midnight Song’ and to explore the nuances of mankind’s struggle with both joy and grief.

The fifth movement (‘What the morning bells tell me’) saw another change in mood, with the choirs conveying the joy of youthful voices, bells, and angels.

The final movement begins with a poignant melody in the strings, but then develops into cycles of themes, with waves of intensity and serenity until building to the climatic finale.

This piece was first scheduled to be performed 5 years ago but had to be put on hold due to the pandemic. Ranging from visceral emotion to disciplined march, from despair to joy, from the overwhelming sound of the whole orchestra to the filigreed poignancy of solo instruments, it was well worth the wait and fully deserved the extended standing ovation.

(Before the start of the performance, a presentation as made to Michael Eakin in recognition of his work as CEO of the organization for the past 16 years, which have been characterized not only by an outstanding artistic output by the orchestra, choirs, and ensembles but also by the organisation’s growing links with the community through its work in schools and hospitals, placing the Philharmonic at the centre of culture in the city. We wish him the very best for his retirement and extend a warm welcome to Vanessa Reed, who will be taking over the role.)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir (altos and sopranos)

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir

Domingo Hindoyan conductor

Jennifer Johnston mezzo-soprano

Reviewer: Johanna Roberts

Reviewed: 29th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: