Mahler’s philosophical Ninth a triumph from the San Antonio Symphony

01.26.19
Sebastian Lang-Lessing
San Antonio Express News

Music does not sail over deeper philosophical waters than it does in Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9.

Mahler’s Ninth was the only work performed on the San Antonio Symphony’s Friday night classical series concert at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and before an audience of almost 900 people.

The spellbinding performance was a feat of concentration, stamina, attention to detail and talent stretching almost 90 minutes without an intermission, led by Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing. An even 100 musicians filled the stage, the 72-member orchestra enlarged by extra musicians called for by Mahler’s score.

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The phrasing by Lang-Lessing effectively expressed the long arcs of melodies and connected vividly echoes that seemed to bounce across the universe. His body language from the podium elegantly helped shape the interpretation of the fiendishly complex music for both the musicians and the audience.
 
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