Tension and Release

Both the end of summer and the beginning of the new season in Berlin are traditionally signalled by the opening concert of the Berlin Philharmonic. The end of summer, as it happened, was nowhere to be found: the temperature on the day had soared to an unseasonable thirty-three degrees, causing many members of the well-dressed audience to shed their heavy scarves and jackets in an effort to maintain composure. The mood of season-opening delight, however, was apparent everywhere. The concert itself – one of the three performances this season broadcast live to cinemas throughout Germany and Europe – featured the brief, spellbinding Éclat by the late Pierre Boulez, followed by Mahler’s expansive Seventh Symphony. Under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, both were given performances of considerable brilliance.

The two pieces, although far…