The Antwerp Spring Festival opened on 20 April with boldness and vision: Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony – no safe crowd-pleaser, but a direct confrontation with one of the most layered symphonies in the repertoire. What unfolded at the Handelsbeurs Antwerpen was no ordinary performance, but an interpretatively coherent and dramaturgically strongly constructed reading that convinced from the first to the last note. A daring choice for an opening night that sets the bar high immediately.
The Handelsbeurs itself played a key role in this. The impressive height and distinctive acoustics gave the music a spatiality that is rarely so palpable, though the audible ventilation could be somewhat distracting in the softest passages – a flaw that is perhaps difficult to avoid in such a historic building.
Under the unerring direction of Michael Schønwandt, however, that acoustics was optimally exploited: every detail found its place, every musical gesture its meaning. The pizzicati of the double basses were sharply defined, the chamber music-like string passages in the third movement sounded almost intimate, and the contrasts between forte and piano were executed with effortless precision.
From the first measures of the Trauermarsch, there was charged tension in the hall. This was no feeling out, but a direct grasp at the essence. The Belgian National Orchestra surpassed itself with playing that was both disciplined and spirited. The collaboration with Schønwandt felt organic: here stood an orchestra that was conducted, but at the same time also breathed and thought along. It became immediately clear – this would be a performance of exceptional tension.
A particular moment came in the Scherzo, where the hornist played from the first balcony – a carefully considered intervention that worked not only visually, but especially musically. The dialogue with the wind players on the stage gave the whole an extra dimension and provided a playfulness and spatiality that perfectly matched Mahler's score.
Even the brief interruption between the second and third movements – necessary for the hornist to resume his place – was smoothly absorbed into the whole, without detracting from the tension arc of the evening. It even allowed you to take a moment to recover after so much intensity and let the musical impressions sink in even better.
After that spatial expansion, the music turned inward. The Adagietto revealed a hushed beauty that went straight to the core. Schønwandt chose an interpretation that gave the music room to breathe, with a subtle, accelerated tension-building that was particularly beautiful in the middle section. The warm string sound and the moving harp part created a moment of pure concentration, in which time seemed to stand still. Personally, the outer sections could have been somewhat faster, but fortunately Schønwandt avoided falling into exaggerated slowness, as is often the case in more expansive, late Romantic interpretations.
The finale followed attacca, very briskly and unerringly, and made the break with the Adagietto immediately audible. The orchestra remained remarkably sharp and agile here as well. There it was: for a moment the heavens opened, but Schønwandt deliberately avoided an overly triumphant release: he kept the reins tight and closed the gates quickly again. A choice that testifies to a thoughtful vision that refuses cheap sentimentality, and instead relies on structural clarity rather than effect-seeking.
This performance of Mahler's Fifth continues to resonate: clear of line, rich in detail, iron-strong orchestral playing and sustained by a convincing vision. With this opening, the Antwerp Spring Festival has not only underscored its ambition, but immediately established its level. This was no ordinary start – this was a statement.
