Waterfront Hall, Belfast – 24 May 2024
On 24 May, the Ulster Orchestra bade a lavishly fond farewell to its music director Daniele Rustioni, with a spectacular performance of one of the largest and most exhilarating symphonies ever written.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, is epic in every sense of the word, a dramatic, emotional outpouring around the composer’s reflection on the human condition, beginning with a sombre contemplation of death and climaxing with orchestra, soloists and chorus united in a spine-tingling hymn of resurrection. It was meticulously recreated in Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s biopic of conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein.
All around the Waterfront Hall auditorium – and on the performance platform – it was an emotional ‘ave atque vale’ to the Milan-born conductor, who, in 2019, after three guest appearances with the orchestra, was appointed its chief conductor, and, in 2022, was elevated to the role of music director. Dynamic and charismatic, Rustioni has just accepted a new role as music director laureate from next season, a commitment which will bring him back to Belfast on a regular basis.
He successfully confronted the challenge presented by the pandemic by overseeing a new repertoire, a return to the BBC Proms in London and a tour in Austria, which included a memorable concert in Anton Bruckner’s home city of Linz.
“My memories of Belfast are of a vibrant city, with an extraordinary audience”, he says. “We led them through the crisis of the Covid and I vividly remember how, little by little, they embraced us. I love the atmosphere around the Ulster Hall, which has a rich history as a wonderful concert venue. We covered a lot of repertoire and did a number of collaborations with great soloists and artists. Some of the music was fantastic, it touched heaven.
“As to the future, being Italian, it is always a benediction and a malediction. I will conduct less opera, maybe two or three main productions a season, in some of the world’s top opera houses. I will come back to the Ulster Orchestra in my new role, hopefully every season. And I will have a baby in a couple of weeks, so I will combine some guest conducting with time at home to study, raise my young daughter and support my wonderful wife [the celebrated Italian-American violinist Francesca Dego]”.
The orchestra’s artistic director and deputy CEO Patrick McCarthy’s recalls the early impact of Rustioni’s appointment:
“From our first rehearsal, it was clear that we were about to embark on a thrilling journey together. Daniele has a rare ability to make an orchestra really listen to itself, while giving space for musicians to express themselves. They trust him completely, and that’s meant he’s able to take risks in concerts; every performance feels fresh and energised. He’s taken audiences to incredible heights, and finds real emotional depth in everything he does.
“Performances of Mahler’s Second Symphony are once-in-a-generation in the North. With 200 performers on stage, two superstar singers, a world-class conductor, and a piece which scales emotional highs and lows like nothing else, this is a ground-breaking evening for the orchestra and for the city. Mahler said that a symphony should “embrace everything”, and that’s certainly true of this one”.
https://www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk
This is an edited version of a feature first published in The Irish Times on 4 May 2024.
The Even Hand 