A brilliant season closing Mahler 3 cements The OSM and Payare as one of the most exciting conductor orchestra pairings in the world.
2023 is turning into the year of Rafael Payare. His first year as music director of the Orchesre Symphonique de Montreal seemed from the outside to be a sterling success. Rave reviews both at home and abroad, very successful guest conducting stints (including a performance of Brahms 1 in LA that blew me away), and an exciting new recording of Mahler 5 have kept his name in the back of my brain throughout the first half of the year.
Ultimately though hype can sometimes just be hype, especially in the world of classical music, (cough Klaus Makela cough) it takes strong performances to really back it up. Wednesday night’s performance of Mahler’s gargantuan third symphony with the OSM was the kind of performance that backs up a reputation. This was as striking a Mahler symphonic performance as I have heard, live or otherwise. The hype is real. Payare is indeed the real deal.
A lot had been made of the fire and intensity that Payare gets from an orchestra. His performances are dynamic and exciting for sure. What strikes me more in the performances I have seen though is the keen intelligence of his interpretations. His April Brahms 1 with the LA Philharmonic felt pitch perfect as if he had found the platonic ideal of that particular work. Thursday night’s Mahler 3 was similar in the sense that most of the choices Payare made just felt right. The contrast in the first movement’s two “marches” was made very clear through bold tempo and stylistic choices. With an especially singing opening horn call and slower tempo Payare and the OSM created an opening theme of deep mystery on the verge of sadness. This contrasted a secondary march theme that felt earthy and pinned to the ground while never loosing its jubulance or becoming led footed.
The biggest, and perhaps smartest, choice though was the prominence of the brass. This was some of the most motivated and incredible brass playing I have heard from an orchestra and every chance that he got Payare really brought it forward. Whether it was the beautiful unison playing of the horns, the incredible solom trombone solo, or the driving trumpets everything that was on display in the first movement seemed to come from the brass outwards. It was a decision that, in a way that seems true to Payare, just felt right and made the long first movement, and really the entire symphony, feel powerful and connected.
The second movement showed off Payare’s noticeable skill of creating music that really floats. Like the third movement of his La Phil Brahms 1, this second movement glided through the air almost without a pulse, creating a real surene, sureal atmosphere throughout. It felt unique in the Brahms, and it did here as well. The other thing that struck me through the middle movements Wednesday night was the OSM found the perfect Mahlarian character of sound. This was especially prominent in the calls from the excellent woodwind forces in the second movement and the wonderful backstage trumpet solo in the third. For an orchestra not primarily known for this music this was impressive.
Michelle DeYoung sang the 4th movement with beautiful clarity backed by an orchestra that delivered a perfectly creepy atmosphere. The fifth movement too was wonderfully sung between DeYong, the women of the OSM chorus, and Les Petits Chanteurs de Mont Royale and had the appropriate spring in its step.
The cherry on top of this great performance though was the incredible finale, which was perfectly executed by all parties. From the opening chord of the movement you could tell that the OSM strings were on pure form shaping each line to perfection. Payare’s tempos were perfect as well, slow enough to savor the melodic lines but never slow enough to veer into self-indulgence. Perhaps the biggest compliment I could give Payare in the final movement is that it felt, down to the timings and all, very early Haitink-esque. It all built to the perfect final chord which felt like it could have resonated forever if it was not for the excited crowd ready to give the symphony its due. Truly special music from what seems to be a very special conductor and orchestra partnership.
Some other brief thoughts:
- As a first time visitor I have to say I was very impressed with the overall sound of the Maison Symphonique. The sound is clear and detailed but never cold. I would not call it a blow away acoustic (places like Walt Disney Hall or Severance Hall to name examples) but I would call it a higher level space than the new Gefin Hall in New York and if it was the concert hall I regularly visited I would never complain.
- Payare is a fun conductor to watch move on the podium. He moves and sways up and down with the music but at the same time seems to have quite subtle hand gestures. It’s all very transfixing.
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