Musikfest 2: Contemplating a Monument

In the past three or four years, Andris Nelsons has been responsible for some of the most memorable Mahler performances in Berlin. If none of his readings have been wholly without their excesses of interpretation, his level of energy, lack of superficiality, and commitment to exploring the depths of Mahler’s monumental scores often yields unexpected insights. As part of this year’s Musikfest, Mr Nelsons led the Boston Symphony Orchestra through a Third symphony that was arguably his most consistent and balanced Mahler performance to date. Where his Fifth seemed episodic and his Sixth at times overly ambitious, the Third was given a broadly paced, clear-sighted reading that made sense of sprawl without sacrificing the dramatic intensity of its individual moments. 

The first movement was the most perfectly realised. After the opening…