Mahler's Eighth Symphony brought the Philharmonia's season to a close in a performance under the orchestra's principal conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen. Though it was a canny promoter rather than the composer himself who called the piece the "Symphony of a Thousand", the gargantuan forces involved here – the statutory eight soloists, the combined Philharmonia Voices and Rodolfus Choir, plus the Tiffin Boys' Choir – amply filled the platform and choir stalls. In acoustical terms, the result occasionally felt on the dense and enclosed side – this is music conceived on the grandest possible scale, and it needs to spread to achieve its sonic potential.
Salonen nevertheless firmly held his forces together, with the neatness and clarity of the ensemble impressively maintained in all but a handful of passages in the 80-minute span. Given the extraordinary complexity and richness of Mahler's textures, the interpretation's balance was remarkable.
There was some exemplary work from the choral battalions, who proved themselves capable of a true pianissimo as well as some roof-raising climaxes. The sopranos, in particular, went for all of their top notes and hit almost all of them fair and square.
The soloists were more mixed and stronger on the female side than the male. Robert Dean Smith brought heldentenor heft to his part, even if the text was blandly delivered. Conceived on an equally grand scale, Roland Wood's baritone and Stephen Gadd's bass solos remained earthbound.
On the other side of the platform, though, Judith Howarth and Elizabeth Llewellyn soared up to soprano heights with ease, while Karen Cargill and Justina Gringyte made their mezzo moments tell; meanwhile, Lucy Crowe filtered in Mater Gloriosa's ethereal line magically from a distance. The overall impression was convincing, with some distinguished orchestral playing underpinning the security of the conjoined choirs.
