The following appeared in today's Victoria Times-Colonist Mahler Symphony No.8 Linda Mabbs, Joanne Kolomyjec, Valdine Anderson, sopranos Jean Stilwell, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Turnbull, contralto Mark Lundberg, tenor Daniel Lichti,Tom Goerz, bass-baritones Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Victoria Symphony Vancouver Bach Choir Vancouver Chamber Choir Masterworks Choir Elektra Women's Choir Chor Leoni Men's Choir Vancouver Cantata Singers Vancouver Bach Children's Chorus Sergiu Comissiona, conductor Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver September 25 By Deryk Barker Look in most dictionaries of quotations and under "Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911)" you will find a single quote, his comment on visiting Niagara Falls: "At last! Fortissimo!" Mahler said this after the composition, in 1906, but almost certainly before the first performance in September 1910 of his monumental Symphony No.8, nicknamed, by its promoter, the "Symphony of a Thousand". (For the 1029 performers at the premiere) On Saturday night in a packed Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Sergiu Comissiona directed his eight soloists, seven choirs and 125-strong orchestra in a performance of the Eighth which was dramatic, thrilling even overwhelming at times; yet which somehow, despite some excellent playing and singing, seemed to miss the point. Comissiona does not seem a natural Mahlerian; and while the Eighth may, more than any other work by Mahler, almost play itself, there are still points of clear emphasis which need to be made. Two such occurred in the first part. The first was the appearance of the children's choir at the words "amorem cordibus". If we accept that the work is "about" the redemptive power of love allied to the creative spirit, then this first supplication to "infuse our hearts with love" is a key moment. Unfortunately -- at least in part because of the placement of the children's choir on the stage at the rear of the orchestra, below the adult singers -- they were virtually inaudible at this point. Later, the transition to the coda brings one of Mahler's most gorgeous cadences, from the celestial E major (unattainable perfection, as Donald Mitchell suggests) to the home key of E flat (considered a sacred key, because of the Trinity of flats). Unfortunately, the performance simply sailed through this passage as if it were mere filler material. Staging was evidently a problem; the presence of an electronic organ was doubtless necessary, but other issues could surely have been avoided: the frequently inaudible percussion, for instance, as well as the "celestial continuo" of harmonium, celesta and piano, all failed to make their proper contribution to Mahler's constantly shifting textures. And one of his greatest effects, the offstage brass, was also undermined by its placing. I'm sure the composer did not expect it to sound louder than the onstage forces (certainly this was not his intent in either Das klagende Lied or the Symphony No.2) yet for most of the audience this was precisely the effect achieved. The choral singing was mostly very fine and only early in part two, when the male voices describe Goethe's setting for the final scene from Faust, was there any doubt about the intonation. The children, too, when one could hear them, produced a wonderfully fresh and innocent sound. I wonder, though, whether there wasn't some discreet amplification employed: certainly there was a row of microphones hanging in front of the choirs. This taken with the surprising audibility of pages turning, an apparent inability to sing quietly (the final Chorus mysticus is marked ppp and "like a breath", not the distinct mezzo-forte we heard) and a strange lack of focus of the choral sound, suggested that it might. The soloists were mainly very good, facing up bravely to Mahler's well-nigh impossible demands, although Comissiona could have reined in the orchestra at certain points where his soloists were struggling to be heard. It was a shame that Mark Lundberg's natural range would appear to be that of a baritone, he is certainly not the heldentenor the part requires. And pity poor Valdine Anderson; the role of Mater Gloriosa is a fearsomely difficult one anyway, involving just two line sung in the highest register. Despite a slight crack on the first "Komm!" she was excellent, although I would have preferred a less "knowing" vibrato. But in every other performance I have seen, she is placed offstage in an elevated position, so that her voice floats down ethereally from the heights. Placing her onstage not only, I suspect, made her job more difficult, it also completely wrecked one of Mahler's great coups de theatre. The orchestra for the most part played superbly; it was a real treat to hear such a huge, lush string sound; the winds, to whom Mahler gives much of his most characteristic music in this, his least characteristic work, were splendid; and the brass, who bear the brunt of much of the more dramatic music, were magnificent. I do not wish, however, to leave the wrong impression. For all its shortcomings, this was still a spectacular and eminently enjoyable occasion. And to paraphrase Dr. Johnson: there is no performance of Mahler's 8th so inconsiderable that I would not rather hear it than not. Deryk Barker [log in to unmask]