Eternally resurrected with Teodoro Currentzis

Barcelona's musical scene has been a lucky one these past few days, as two of its main venues, the Palau de la Música Catalana and L'Auditori, hosted two concerts by the group MusicAeterna, led by Teodor Currentzis. And if Sunday was the Ninth Symphony Bruckner's (which I couldn't listen to), on Monday it was the turn of the Second by Mahler, Resurrection, at L'Auditori and with the help of Ibercamera. I repeat that I was unable to attend Sunday's performance at the Palau, but I have always thought that Mahler proceeds much better in Currentzis: the author's narrative of the Rückert-Lieder It seems more to me ad hoc for the Greek-born conductor, because the tragic element does—it seems—much more for him.

Once again—I suppose like on Sunday—MusicAeterna displayed a generous, daring, compact, and at the same time, generously expansive sound, with the measured doses of histrionics that Currentzis allows. A man with an iron fist and at the service of himself, but who is capable—with his charisma—of creating an extraordinary musical illusionism: feeling it for the sake of believing it, it's that simple. And Mahler's score not only allows it, but almost demands it. That's why hunger and the desire to eat meet at the forefront of a symphony that fits like a glove to achieve an atmosphere of recollection, but also the vital explosion of the last two movements, when the human voice appears.

And while it is true that Currentzis's histrionic gesture – which always pushes the viewer to the limit – can occasionally be distracting, it is also true that the director's work is the result of a profound study of what he has before him: the score. Whether you like it or not, there is no doubt that we are dealing with a serious and responsible personality. And he does not deceive, in this case, with his reading of the score. Second by Mahler.

An excellent choral performance by the Ibercamera Choir conducted by Mireia Barrera, along with the Madrigal Choir (conducted by Pere Lluís Biosca) and the Puig-Reig Polyphony Orchestra (conducted by Emmanuel Niubó), with fine performances by the two solo voices: soprano Sofia Ts ería. And in the end, delirium, how to expect and how it had already happened – I am told – the day before at the Palau.