An incandescent evening at the Romanian Athenaeum - Wednesday, April 16th, 2025, with conductor Vasily Petrenko

On Wednesday evening, during Holy Week, I rediscovered at the Bucharest Philharmonic one of Gustav Mahler's masterpieces - the Symphony No. 2. I had very much wished to be in the hall of the Romanian Athenaeum for this occasion, as I am a great admirer of conductor Vasily Petrenko, who was standing for the first time at the podium of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra. Clearly, I was not the only one, as the hall was packed, the concert sold out.

Scheduling Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony in the middle of Holy Week is not only a symbolic gesture but one carrying an almost liturgical significance. For an hour and a half, the Athenaeum became a cathedral of sound. Not through forced solemnity, but through the intensity with which Mahler's score - a moving meditation on the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth - resonated with the moment, and with something deeper within us, something that connects us all. Symphony No. 2 cannot be approached half-heartedly; it is massive, complex, diverse, and potentially overwhelming on an emotional level. I have always felt that it is the kind of creation under the weight of which a conductor could collapse, if not thoroughly prepared, if not intimately familiar with and deeply understanding both the score and himself. However, I had complete confidence that Vasily Petrenko would create something extraordinary, as I consider him one of the most refined masters of our time. One of the qualities I admire in him (and which I noticed again here) is his ability to penetrate with authentic emotional intensity into the expressive core of a score - to the point where, as a listener, you feel the sound breathing into your flesh and stirring your very being - while at the same time maintaining impeccable architectural clarity, a conducting lucidity that organizes what can sometimes seem like a sublime chaos. This duality - total emotional involvement and rigorous intellectual control - places Vasily Petrenko among the foremost artists of our time.

Mahler's symphony is structured in five parts, with the composer requesting a significant pause between the end of the first part and the beginning of the second. Petrenko chose to mark this change of atmosphere by bringing on stage the Philharmonic Choir, prepared by Iosif Ion Prunner, and the soloists - soprano Kateřina Kněžíková and mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu, whom we would hear a little later. Roxana Constantinescu's voice rose ethereal in Urlicht, performed with a sincerity and purity that cut through the air in the hall. These moments of prayer were among the most moving of the entire evening. The interventions of soprano Kateřina Kněžíková also moved me, and in the final section, sung together with the mezzo-soprano and the choir, her voice beautifully wove into the sonic texture, creating a sense of elevation.

Another significant presence on stage for this occasion was violinist Liviu Prunaru, appearing as concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Was this a perfect version of Mahler's symphony? Probably not, as there were some uncertain attacks and brief moments of lag. But was it a version I will want to remember with immense joy and emotion for a long time to come? Absolutely!