Musikfest 2: Hammer Blows

When Andris Nelsons was last on the stage of the Philharmonie, in April of this year, he led the Berlin Philharmonic through a version of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony that, despite its uneven moments, contained an almost ridiculous level of ambition. In his most recent appearance – one of a number of Mahler-themed concerts at this year’s Musikfest – Mr Nelsons guided the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the Sixth that toned down some of his more impetuous tendencies in favour of a more tightly-controlled and deeply-considered vision of the work as a whole.

The results were striking, both for their intensity and their lasting effect. Whether or not one agreed with all of Mr Nelsons’ interpretive decisions – and, in stark contrast to Zubin Mehta’s selfless reading of the Ninth the following evening, few efforts were made to conceal…