Kazuki Conducts MahlerCBSO, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | Thursday 15th January 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray

Kazuki Conducts Mahler

CBSO, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | Thursday 15th January 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray

“A dazzling performance of Mahler’s Titanic 1st Symphony.”

Mahler – Blumine

Dai Fujikura – Trombone Concerto (Vast Ocean II) (UK Premier)

Mahler – Symphony No.1

Mahler originally wrote Blumine as a movement in his First Symphony but then rejected its inclusion. Blumine then disappeared until 1966 when it was rediscovered by Mahler-Scholar Donald Mitchell.

Apparently, some interpreters of the First Symphony went through a phase of including it in performances of the work. Clearly, this was not Mahler’s ultimate intention. The CBSO programmed a clever compromise by including it, not in a performance of the Symphony itself, but as a curtain-raiser to the first half of the concert. This worked well, giving us some deeper insight into the composer’s creative processes.

Blumine is a piece well worth performance. Conductor Kazuki Yamada delivered a reading which leaned into the faux naivety, which is characteristic of so much of the music from Mahler’s so called “Wunderhorn” period. But Kazuki also gave us convincing emotional heft during its more intense middle section and deliciously mystical ending. Trumpet, Holly Clark played the lovely opening & closing theme with wonderful clarity of tone.

Dai Fujikura’s Trombone Concerto (Vast Ocean II) is not a virtuosic work in the conventional sense; there are no bravura flourishes, no fiendish passage work. The solo part is challenging in more diverse ways.

Soloist, Peter Moore rose to all of these challenges admirably; displaying wonderful control, a vast range of colouration, and pinpoint accuracy over large jumps between disjunct intervals. Moore also has the ability to find a sense of line and direction where, on paper, they are not obviously there.

This is a slow contemplative piece, where the trombone wanders through a sound scape consisting of blocks of sound: static string chords, shimmering string chords, rustling string chords, occasional scurries of woodwind, the odd cow bell or two.

If we are honest, the effect is a bit samey. This almost unbroken 20 minute narrative – written mostly  in disjunct intervals – felt longer. The overall effect was alienating and anti-melodic.

However, the piece did end with a gorgeous passage where the soloist fell silent for a kind of orchestral cadenza. This passage was really rather exciting, with the soloist adding a last word, delicately, pianissimo, over a fragile orchestral texture of mostly string harmonics. This concluding passage was the very best section of this challenging, mostly disjunct piece.

Now: back to Mahler, and his titanic First Symphony.

This was an exceptional performance. Kazuki and the CBSO gave us an astonishingly detailed interpretation. One felt that every note had been thought about, thus imbuing this wonderful piece with masses of character and colour. Kazuki used the contrasts in the score – contrapuntal, dynamic, harmonic and rhythmic - fearlessly to create bold effects. This performance was also shot through will ebullient good humour and resultant joy.

To be very picky: there were a few cracked notes in the horn section here-and-there. And there really shouldn’t have been. Come on horns: don’t let the side down!

Kazuki really brought out the parodic qualities of the inner movements. The ländler of the second movement was treated with a delightful deftness and lightness of touch. It really came alive under his baton and the orchestra responded with fun, delicacy and sensitivity.

The final movement was tremendously well handled. The contrasting sections flowed seamlessly and organically. The return to the opening - where clever-boots Mahler lets us in on all the thematic linkages - was suitably revelatory. And the orchestra, who had been playing at the top of their considerable game the whole evening - really shone in the climactic final bars. This was a truly sensational performance of a glorious symphony. Bravo!

Kazuki Yamada – Conductor

Peter Moore - Trombone