Photo, Chris Christodoulou
Monday, August 11, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London
It started well with impressive horns, the extensive first movement held together splendidly by Ryan Bancroft at no-rush tempos, embracing episodes and incidents, a sure-footed approach to martial effusion and, later, tumult. expressiveness to the fore through sensitive interplay of solos – excellence from trombonist, gently vocal at times – detail and direction in tandem, the exhilarating coda reached without forcing or flag-waving, wholesomely.
Of the remaining five movements, the pastoral second (old-form minuet) was mannered beyond itself, despite a stylish oboe, with fleeter contrasts better managed. The animals-in-the-forest third tripped along pointedly, the faraway posthorn (trumpet?) solo well-managed, the reveille-like return to scampering building to a consequential conclusion (with strings remaining audible). Following two rounds of clapping, Beth Taylor was on-song for words from Nietzsche’s Zarathustra (“O Mensch”) although oboe glissandos were diffident, and although the “Bimm bamm” successor was suitably bouncy, I think the children’s/youth choruses included girls (maybe it’s simply easier these days to tick the all-inclusive box than honour a specific tonal requirement). The final Adagio (‘Love’) was beautifully done, deeply contemplative, but, for me, there’s Zubin Mehta and the Berlin Phil, without parallel, a game-changer, haunting, link below, and with it I take my leave from this Proms Mahler Three…
Beth Taylor (mezzo-soprano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Chorus of Wales (upper voices)
CBSO Children’s Chorus & Youth Chorus
Members of Orchestre National de Bretagne
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gr4m
On the Mehta post, the final movement has been preserved on YT, capturing a remarkable rapport between orchestra & maestro, and linked to in the second Comment.
Where do you consider that Claudio Abbado’s Proms performance with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra ranks?
Sorry, I have never heard it. Colin
I attended the concert at the 2007 Proms. I thought it was a marvellous performance. Andrew Clements reviewed it for The Guardian, and I think his review is still on The Guardian website. Claudio Abbado also conducted the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in Mahler’s 3rd in Lucerne around the same time. I think you can find it on You Tube.
I agree with your comments regarding RAH. Finest Mahler 3 I ever heard was Tennstedt conducting LPO at RFH (possibly early 1980s). I attended last night. I enjoyed outer movements and Beth Taylor. Returned to Abbado this morning – all magnificent.
Also highly memorable was the performance by the NYOGB under Mark Elder on 6th August 1999. The finale was nothing short of sublime.If anyone possesses a recording of that concert, or can point us towards one, do PLEASE let me know.
I think you’re being overly generous. Indeed the horns were great, the trombone solo ok if uncomfortably sharp at times. The offstage flugal horn was delightful until the player occasionally faltered. The trumpet section and 1st tpt was weak and inaccurate, missing the final brass corale and taking a bar to catch up. Overall under rehearsed I expect given two orchestras were weirdly mashed together. The choirs were good but too quiet for the RAH. Max 4/10.
Thanks Carl, it makes a pleasant change to be found not critical enough.
In case anyone is wondering, I did stay with the performance until the end but it failed to scale the heights, and there were a couple of instances of the timpanists being a little adrift.
It’s a bit late now to add comments to the review, better to update the original review. I enjoyed the performance because I love the piece.
Credit where due there was some good playing. But interspersed with some lapses (last movement chorale theme trumpet and trombone completely unsynchronized and seemed in danger of collapse, didn’t recover quickly).
For all the good there were many uncomfortable moments in between. Lack of sustained quality unfortunately.
Never too late. Colin
I agree with you.
Horns were excellent. Their principal was right on it.
Being seated very high in the hall the percussion was as clear as a “bell”!
The second offstage trumpet disturbed the perfection of the first one. (They may have been bumping them).
The trumpet section were disappointing. The key moment – the chorale in the 6th was too loud and tuning off as well as the timing issue mentioned.
Strings were rich and lovely and woodwind generally fine.
I felt the final section of the Adagio was a bit quick, and the final note held too long. The orchestra faded on it.
Overall solid performance but not the ultimate.
I generally feel underwhelmed with Maher in the RAH. It sounds better in the other London concert halls – where the sound is more direct and overall louder.
Is Boulez’s Prom (circa 1973) Mahler 3 preserved? The greatest I ever heard.
Seemingly not, Bob, but there’s an M3 here with Boulez/BBCSO, Nov 74.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaeDdRzYwG4
Good sound. Yvonne Minton in IV.
The radio announcer loved this prom, I can’t think why. Inexperience? Naivety? Easily pleased? She seemed more impressed by what she saw rather than heard.
Thank you for listening!
I was in the RAH last night and have never heard the BBCNOW play better. Ryan Bancroft must be congratulated for his energy and galvanising effect – and in particular allowing free rein to the trombones in their chromatic descents!!
Fantastic quiet playing from all sections.
I loved it.
I found the performance a ‘curate’s egg’ and was both delighted and disappointed at times. Overall it worked but appeared a little under-rehearsed. The choir’s “bim bam” really needed boy trebles and lacked “pep” but the singers all did their best and Beth Taylor’s “Ah mensch” solo was superb.
Despite much that was thrilling and deeply moving, the disparity between blaring brass and shy, underpowered strings was a major minus. I’d question the placement of all three fiddle sections en bloc with cellos fronting double basses to the conductors right – surely a sonic mistake?
Also, the listed players of the combined orchestras did not all turn up, by my count.
There’s a reason the Vienna Phil play with 16 first violins
It’s the first time I’ve heard the piece since a mid70’s performance in Newcastle with James Loughran and the Halle, I think. So, unlike your other contributors I have to admit to not knowing it, but still didn’t enjoy it. There’s beauty in the last movement, obviously (an antidote to some of the vulgarity in the first??), but couldn’t Mahler have said what he needs to say more concisely?I also know nothing (again) about trombone technique c. 1900, lbut the Ist trombone solos and some of the general brass playing didn’t sound right to me. Too much vibrato, not firmly in tune to my ear. The conductor seemed to have it under control, but when you don’t use a stick your gestures have be too big in music of this nature. You risk drawing too much attention to yourself instead of the music. It was visually distracting, (adding to the appalling distractions of food and drink being consumed in the box where I was sitting, lasting for 90% of the performance,but that’s a problem for the Hall management).