Kenneth Woods- A View From the Podium

Welcome to a View from the Podium special series- Mahler, a Performer’s Perspective, commissioned by The Bridgewater Hall for the Mahler in Manchester festival in 2010.

Throughout 2010, the resident orchestras at The Bridgewater Hall will offer up a complete cycle of the Mahler symphonies, each paired with a newly commissioned work. In addition to performances of the symphonies by the BBC Philharmonic and Hallé (including a special performance of the 8^th Symphony by the combined orchestras under the direction of Sir Mark Elder), there will be a special “Mahler Day,” workshop focusing on Mahler’s vocal masterpiece, Das Lied von der Erde, as arranged for chamber orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg and performed by the Bridgewater’s resident chamber orchestra, the Manchester Camerata.

With so many marvellous performances to look forward to, and all the accompanying programme notes and lectures, it may be hard at first to imagine what on earth a series of blogs posts could add to the occasion. In the end, we thought that it would be interesting and useful to offer something a little different- a behind the scenes look at the issues these astounding works pose for interpreters and performers. If you’ve ever wanted to know what keeps conductors up at nights when preparing a Mahler symphony, or wondered what it feels like to be the principal trumpet player ten seconds before the downbeat of Mahler 5, you’ve come to the right place.

I’m looking forward to sharing some of my own experiences of coming to terms with each of the symphonies as a conductor, and reflecting on what it was like to play them in my past life as an orchestra cellist. Each work has it’s own challenges, riddles, paradoxes and problems. If you’ve ever wondered which is the tougher job- conducting Mahler 2 or conducting the offstage band in Mahler 2, I can tell you. I’m also looking forward to interviewing some of the conductors and players involved in the BWH’s series.

We’ll try to keep the scope rather narrow, informal and un-academic throughout this series. There’s no point in rehashing or contradicting somebody else’s programme notes, but if you are new to the blog, and you’d like to learn more about Mahler, there is lots to find here. Just follow this link to all the Mahler related posts on Vftp.

Meanwhile, thank you for reading. I hope these posts will enhance your listening experience, and that many of you will be inspired to join the conversation by sharing your comments. If there is a topic you would like us to explore as part of this series, please feel free to suggest it by emailing us at info@kennethwoods.net.

The Posts-

I-Performer’s Perspective- Is Mahler’s music hard(er) to conduct?

II-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 1, a challenge

III- Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 2, a riddle

IV- Conductor Conversations- Gianandrea Noseda on Mahler

V- Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 2, a moment

VI-Performer’s Perspective- Das Lied von der Erde, a rebirth

VII-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 2, a roadmap

VIII-Performer’s Perspective- Let’s Dance

XI-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 3, a shout-out

XII-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 3, a lost friend

XIII-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 4, a contradiction

XIV-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 3, a scherzo on a poem

XV-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 5, a tempo

XVI-Performer’s Perspective- Mahler 5, two changes