Mahler in Amsterdam, 18 May 2025

And so the tenth and final day of this Hayllar Music Tours visit to Amsterdam has come to an end. What a journey!

We had a beautiful farewell lunch together at a wonderful restaurant this afternoon, while this evening we attended the tenth and final concert in the 2025 Concertgebouw Mahler Festival.

The program comprised two works: the first movement of Mahler's unfinished tenth symphony, and the composer's "other ninth symphony", Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was again on the stage, conducted by Sakari Oramo.

When I led a tour to the Leipzig Mahler Festival two years ago we heard the full five movement version of the tenth in the performing version by Deryck Cooke et al. But this is not universally accepted in Mahler circles and the first movement, fully completed by Mahler, is often played as a stand alone piece. Even in that form it's a shattering experience and the Berlin orchestra gave a powerful reading of this enigmatic score.

The soloists in Das Lied were Dorottya Láng, mezzo, and Benjamin Bruns, tenor, and both were magnificent. The orchestra revelled in the madness and colour of Mahler's songs of world-weariness and farewell to life, and Oramo (substituting at some weeks' notice for Daniel Barenboim) was dynamic from beginning to end.

This was a perfect end to a once in a lifetime experience. Hearing all the Mahler symphonies in order (ok, Das Lied was finished before the ninth, but you get the picture) was utterly fascinating. Hearing them performed by some of the world's greatest orchestras and conductors made it one of the greatest privileges imaginable. And having it happen over ten consecutive nights in the famed Concertgebouw...

And tomorrow? Back to Adelaide.

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