@ Usher Hall, Edinburgh, on Fri 2 Oct 2015

During Mahler’s lifetime, his 2nd Symphony—the Resurrection Symphony—was one of his most popular works and it continues to be so today. Beloved of the Edinburgh International Festival, it is no surprise to see it being performed here as the opening to the RSNO’s 2015/16 season. It is, after all, a work guaranteed to draw a large and enthusiastic audience.

Popular it may be, but this is a difficult work to perform just right. Mahler’s orchestration is masterly, but it demands a great deal from the players, having many exposed passages and awkward instrumental ranges. Of course, an orchestra as accomplished as the RSNO is perfectly capable of playing all the right notes and in the right order, but naturally more than this is needed to make a performance a truly memorable one.

Indeed, there are many good things about this evening’s rendition. Both Valentina Farcas and Sarah Connolly give very accomplished performances, and placed behind the strings rather than at the front of the stage, their voices blend nicely with both orchestra and choir. The RSNO chorus similarly rise to the occasion, with a well-controlled, well-balanced sound, which emerges beautifully from the orchestral textures.

It is also worth mentioning the Usher Hall organ. Although its renovation was completed a number of years ago, those who remember it spluttering to a standstill during its dark days, cannot be anything but delighted to hear it coming into its own this evening, underpinning the orchestra so effectively at what is the Symphony’s ultimate resolution.

On the other hand, despite Peter Oundjian’s careful handling of the music’s varied contrasts, there is in general a real lack of articulation throughout, and a concomitant ambiguity in the phrasing. It is just all a little too splodgy and uncontrolled: a perfectly respectable and enjoyable performance, but without much that is genuinely inspirational.

This is a shame, as although Mahler’s 2nd symphony is always going to be gratifying as a series of thrilling moments, it is also a work of many subtleties, but this evening, these aren’t always being allowed to shine through.