Keith Lockhart, Conductor
Last weekend I had a very unique experience: the opportunity to participate in a pair of live performances of the Mahler 2nd Symphony in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. This very large work has become known as the “Resurrection Symphony” because of Mahler’s own text which he used in the choral parts of the last movement. This was this year’s program for the “Gift of Music” presented to the community by O.C. Tanner Company, featuring the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Returning as a guest conductor was the recently-emeritus conductor of the Utah Symphony, Keith Lockhart. I am a member of the choir and our seats were among the best in the house as the Symphony performed the first four movements without us, and used only one of the two soloists. The last movement was saved for both soloists and the choir. The dynamics of the piece go from both extremes, extremely soft to extremely loud. There are extras in every section.
Here is what the score calls for:
4 Flutes (all four doubling Piccolos); 4 Oboes (3rd and 4th oboe doubling English Horns); 3 Clarinets in B-flat, A, C (3rd clarinet doubling Bass Clarinet), 2 E-flat Clarinets (2nd E-flat clarinet doubling 4th clarinet); 4 Bassoons (3rd and 4th Bassoon doubling Contra bassoon); 10 Horns in F, four used offstage until the last movement; 8-10 Trumpets in F and C, four to six used offstage; 4 Trombones and Tuba; A total of seven percussion players playing on the following instruments: Timpani (2 players and 8 timpani, with a third player in the last movement using two of the second timpanist’s drums), Several Snare Drums, Bass Drum, Crash Cymbals, Triangle, Glockenspiel, 3 deep, untuned steel rods or bells, Rute, or “switch”, to be played on the shell of the bass drum, 2 Tam-tams or Gongs (high and low), and offstage percussion in Movement 5; and “the largest possible contingent of strings”. These together with the 350-voice choir and two soloists, made for an ensemble approaching 500 for the performance. It was stunning to say the least. I am grateful I was able to be a participant.
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