Tomáš Hanus has recently taken over as music director of Welsh National Opera, but this was only his second public appearance with his new company – the first being the occasion that effectively secured the appointment, so immediate was the rapport. In this performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony, the Resurrection, there was indeed chemistry between Hanus and his forces, and it could hardly have augured better. The conductor combined dramatic intensity with moments of great tenderness, suggesting an instinctive feel for Mahler, who was one of the great opera conductors of his time.
The fearsome opening seized the audience, with the string section playing as if their lives depended on it, and the brass and percussion on fire. Crucially, the power generated was sustained over the vast architectural span of the first movement, its last bars breathtakingly achieved. Hanus is Czech and, in the natural flow of the second and third movements, came a reminder that Mahler was Bohemian by birth, with an implicit connection with the lyricism of Dvořák. Expressive details of orchestration were teased out, melodic line given lilting inflections.
Beautifully nuanced singing by the mezzo Karen Cargill brought a rare quality to Urlicht, with soprano Rebecca Evans joining her in the finale to soar over the choir, the WNO chorus amplified by its community chorus realising the most thrilling of sounds. Hanus used the acoustics of St David’s Hall to stunning effect throughout and, in the momentous orchestral coda, set the seal on a memorable night.
