Bavarian Radio photo from rehearsals for Thursday’s and yesterday’s concerts – “Sir Simon Rattle with BRSO trumpeter Thomas Kiechle”

Friday, March 20, 2026

Isarphilharmonie, Munich

OMG, another M2 … everybody’s playing it, playing it, playing it, Simon Rattle since conducting a headline-grabbing performance at the Royal Academy of Music fifty-plus years ago. This second Munich account (with a third in Hamburg tonight, live video stream, too) was preceded by austerely beautiful/plaintive a cappella Purcell and – attacca – with-orchestra Schumann, restless music that glows in the dark. Following the shortest of pauses – long enough for an oboist to address the BRSO’s tuning – an electrifying plunge into the Mahler, the first movement a mix of micro-management, manicuring, gutsy attack, romantic lingering, and explosive climaxes, a flexibility and even prissiness that was carried into the Ländler second movement (Mahler’s five-minute break request severely reduced). From there-on-in – attacca all the way – a third movement prodded to dance around before falling into ‘Urlicht’, sung richly with intensity by Beth Taylor (one sensed her eye-contact with Rattle guiding her) … then the upheaval introduction of the Finale, its widescreen theatre (and perspectives) fully projected, including two monumental crescendos, a spot-on march tempo, a magically hushed first appearance by the choir, a soaring Louise Alder, and a resounding conclusion, greeted by several seconds of silence, then the reception expected.

Henry Purcell

“Remember not, Lord, our offences”, Motet, Z. 50

Robert Schumann

“Nachtlied” for choir and orchestra, op. 108

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 2 in C minor (“Resurrection Symphony”)

Performers

Sir Simon Rattle conductor

Louise Alder soprano

Beth Taylor mezzo-soprano

Bavarian Radio Chorus

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – Sir Simon Rattle conducts the premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Zones of Blue (with clarinettist Jörg Widmann) and Hans Werner Henze’s Das Floß der Medusa. Live on BR-Klassik.