Mahler’s Resurrection in Litomyšl
Journalist Helena Havlíková reviewed the events of the final weekend of the 56th Smetana’s Litomyšl festival for the information portal Opera Plus. She had the following to say about a performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and guests, conducted by Ondrej Lenárd:
(…) The fact that conductor Ondrej Lenárd, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Choir and soloists Eva Hornyákova and Terézie Kružliaková succeeded in conveying Mahler’s message in Litomyšl was borne out above all by the applause of the sold-out auditorium. It was clear that Mahler’s Second Symphony is very close to Ondrej Lenárd’s heart. Lenárd does not approach the score with a rational calculus of building contrast, gradation and structure; rather he is able, thanks to the solid foundation of his extensive conducting experience, to express above all the emotion with which Mahler’s Resurrection is permeated with elevation from the dust to the quiet bliss of God’s love. Under Lenárd’s baton, the orchestra and choir rise up in the final movement in powerful sheets of fortissimo only to, in sharp cuts and fluent decrescendos, quieten to subtle pianissimo in phrases packed with tension. The energy of dramatic ascents alternates with glissandos of the landler that border on discreet, the fury of the final judgement with ethereal meditative surfaces, the majesty of the funeral march with joyful release. Listening at the chateau courtyard, one could appreciate how Ondrej Lenárd managed to balance the orchestra, choir and soloists in such a way that they didn’t come across like a shapeless mass of sound but sounded limber in multicoloured layers of individual instrument groups as well as highlighted solo instruments and human voices.
The reviewer even gave the MUSICIANS’ PERFORMANCE an appreciative 80 percent rating.
