Perpetual Agitation

The Vienna Philharmonic have been frequent guests at the Staatsoper’s annual Festtage, and in the past three years they have performed final symphonies by composers especially associated with the musical life of the Austrian capital: last year it was Schubert’s Great C-major symphony, and the year before featured the final three of Mozart. For their appearance this year, Daniel Barenboim guided the Vienna players through a consistently intriguing performance of Mahler’s final completed symphony that played to the strengths of the orchestra while, at the same time, bringing to the surface aspects of the score that often remain hidden.

It is perhaps inevitable that conductors would want to smooth over the difficult passages, the odd transitions and moments of unconventional orchestration in Mahler’s Ninth. Mr Barenboim, on the other hand,…