Antony Hermus and Roberto González-Monjas conduct Mahler
Interview
This season, the three federal institutions complete their integral cycle of the symphonic works of Gustav Mahler. The Belgian National Orchestra will perform the Seventh Symphony in October under the baton of chief conductor Antony Hermus, and in early December, first guest conductor Roberto González-Monjas will lead the orchestra through Mahler's Fourth Symphony, with Regula Mühlemann as soprano soloist. Here is a series of questions for both conductors!
Antony Hermus, what has your journey with Mahler been like so far as a conductor?
My journey with Mahler began 15 years ago with the First and Fifth Symphonies—I even had the opportunity to record the First on CD! After that, I started a Mahler cycle with the Noord Nederlands Orkest in Groningen, where I am a principal guest conductor. This allowed me to encounter almost all of the symphonies: the Seventh (which we will now perform in Brussels), and several others multiple times with different orchestras, including the Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth. Additionally, I've conducted the unfinished Tenth Symphony in the version completed by Deryck Cooke. In the coming seasons, I have the Second, Third, Das Lied von der Erde, and even the Eighth Symphony planned with various orchestras. By then, I will have conducted almost all of Mahler's symphonic works. One might almost call me a "Mahler specialist" (laughs). For me, Mahler’s music is the pinnacle of Romantic music, with an unparalleled emotional depth—from deep despair to ecstatic joy. The symphonies are often very complex and long, but the result is always an incredible musical experience.
What is the story that Mahler tells with his Seventh Symphony?
The overarching story that Mahler tells is a journey from darkness to light, from night to day. The symphony begins in the shadows of night (first movement), mysterious and searching. The second movement (Nachtmusik I) paints a nocturnal scene, followed by a ghostly third movement (scherzo). The fourth movement (Nachtmusik II) is more romantic than Nachtmusik I and contains serenade-like elements, with special appearances by the guitar and mandolin. Finally, the dawn arrives in the finale with a burst of radiant daylight and joy!
What is the most moving moment for you?
I find the beginning of the fourth movement always incredibly moving. The sweet, romantic tone contrasts sharply with the more turbulent movements of the symphony.
Why do you pair Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder with Mahler?
Although different in form, both works address existential themes. Mahler’s Seventh Symphony takes a journey from darkness to light, while Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder deals with the acceptance of death and the end of life. Both works are also late works—Mahler’s Seventh represents his late style, and the Vier letzte Lieder were the last works completed by Richard Strauss.
What is the most challenging moment for you as a conductor in Mahler’s Seventh Symphony?
For me, it's the form of the last movement, the finale. It's always challenging to hit the right emotional tone and difficult to capture the heart of that movement.
Roberto González-Monjas, what has your journey with Mahler been like so far as a conductor?
Aside from the First Symphony and several of his orchestral song cycles, this is the second major Mahler work that I will conduct. Mahler’s symphonies are entire worlds on their own, encompassing the full complexity of human nature, along with Mahler's own obsessions, anxieties, fantasies, and desires. Preparing a work of this magnitude requires an enormous amount of time for research, study, and contextualization.
What is the story that Mahler tells with his Fourth Symphony?
Mahler’s Fourth Symphony is probably one of his most intimate works. The symphony takes us on an inner journey through both the bright and dark sides of humanity—from an idealized pastoral aesthetic to visions of hell, love, death, and rebirth, ultimately culminating in Das himmlische Leben, a song that depicts an innocent and almost childlike vision of heaven and paradise. I think those who are used to Mahler’s bombastic language will be pleasantly surprised to discover a soft and idyllic work—think of Beethoven’s Pastorale in comparison to his other symphonies!
What is the most moving moment for you?
I find the third movement to be a real gem: the main theme is so delicate, so full of love and devotion. Yet, as the music progresses, there are moments of despair and passion that remind me of the famous Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony—a true masterclass in depicting love in all its facets.
Why do you pair Mozart arias with Mahler?
Just as in literature or the visual arts, “roots” are extremely important in the history of music. Personally, I cannot imagine the music of Gustav Mahler or Richard Strauss without Mozart. Mozart stands at the starting point of a path of musical creation where the relationship between text and music becomes a heavenly marriage. Through Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms... and all the way to the post-Romantic Austrian composers, this unique way of setting texts to music is a crucial part of the German-speaking cultural tradition. I find it wonderful to combine these composers in the same program—it feels very logical.
What is the most challenging moment for you as a conductor in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony?
Probably the first movement, which is full of tricky and delicate passages! Mahler was a composer who kept refining his language and continuously revised his works to note all his ideas and wishes as precisely as possible. The first movement of the Fourth Symphony presents many challenges: if I take Mahler’s instructions too literally, it quickly becomes a caricature; if I pay too little attention to them, the music falls flat. It’s a great balancing act!
Richard Strauss | Vier letzte Lieder
Gustav Mahler | Symphony No. 7
Conductor Antony Hermus | Soprano Christiane Karg
The Mahler cycle continues with the Fourth Symphony. Soprano Regula Mühlemann also sings arias by Mozart and Strauss.
