Milanese-born Gianandrea Noseda is the new principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied with Myung-Whun Chung and Valery Gergiev, and yet he is largely unknown in the UK. His debut at the helm of the BBC Phil was destined to be a significant occasion, and it was a bold choice to mark it with Mahler's 8th Symphony, sometimes referred to as the "Symphony of a Thousand". It is the acid test for any symphonic conductor.
The large performing forces may have numbered well under a thousand, but were ample enough for the Bridgewater Hall. Noseda was every inch the animated maestro. He athletically co-ordinated the massed singers of the Bach Choir, CBSO Chorus and CBSO Youth Chorus with a swollen BBC Philharmonic and eight soloists.
Part One, an extensive setting of the ninth-century Latin hymn Veni, creator spiritus, commenced with considerable volume and was a bold statement of Noseda's intent. His approach to the music was forceful yet persuasive, arguing that the religiosity of this music is more about frenzied passions than penitence or piety. The overall effect was not very subtle. But Mahler's 8th Symphony does not lend itself to ponderous contemplation or delicate interpretation. If the prime objective is to raise the roof off the building then this performance was a stunning success.
Part Two of the symphony is arguably the supreme rollercoaster of late romanticism. Its relentless exploration of redemption, based on the final scenes of Goethe's second part of Faust, was the finest aspect of the evening. Perhaps this was due to the greater contrasts in Mahler's score, allowing the orchestra to express their versatility more openly; the rare delicate moments possessed clarity and gracefulness.
The subsequent conclusion to the symphony was raw, passionate, perhaps slightly self-important and certainly very loud. A new era for the BBC Philharmonic has been inaugurated by a performance that cannot be described as modest, but with good cause: there is clearly no need for modesty about the exciting times ahead.
