Mahler to open the new Ibercamera season

Ibercamera has opened its 43rd season with a highlight such as the Third Symphony by Gustav Mahler, in a single-piece program (it is one of the longest symphonies in the entire repertoire) and with the always luxurious presence of Ádám Fischer on the podium, leading the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. On this occasion, and apart from mezzo Catriona Morison for the passages reserved for her in the fourth and fifth movements, the Cor Madrigal and the Cor Vivaldi were featured, coordinated by Mireia Barrera.

Let's say it right from the start: having the aforementioned choral groups on the stage of L'Auditori, directed respectively by Pere Lluís Biosca and Pilar Paredes, is a luxury and a source of pride, especially when they are put at the service of pages as demanding as this one. The blended sound, the clarity of diction, and the good rapport with Fischer set the bar very high for future collaborations.

In the hands of the Hungarian conductor and in front of an orchestra like that of Düsseldorf, cohesion was assured and the quality of the discourse, too. The strength of the marches, both the darkest and the brightest that populate the geography of Mahler's third symphony, the rubato subtle minuet and the slowness of the finale are trademarks perhaps not suitable for the purists, although Fischer is, today, one of the best conductors to lead Mahler. Precision in the attacks, in the entrances, well-marked accents and dramatic worldview walked throughout almost two hours of good music. Nobility and austerity shared space with climaxes of great and singular power throughout the interpretation and before a simply triumphant finale.

Needless to say, the solos that the Bohemian composer intended for some instrumentalists met with the response we expected from the musicians of the German ensemble, always maintaining a high standard of virtuosity. Mezzo-soprano Catriona Morrison also showcased a velvety timbre for the telluric O Mensch! with text by Nietzsche in the fourth movement, or the excerpt from the Knaben Wunderhorn in the fifth. Ibercamera could not have started this new season better.