Utopia in Sound — Beethoven's Ninth at the Auditorium under Pablo Mielgo

Utopia in Sound — Beethoven's Ninth at the Auditorium under Pablo Mielgo

Leading question: Can a performance of the Ninth still function as a convincing utopia today when musical details scratch at the overall impression?

Friday evening at the Auditorium: outside it is December, the streetlights on Passeig Mallorca cast wet light on wet cobblestones, during the interval there is the smell of coffee and overly warm coats. Inside, however, an orchestra, a chorus and four soloists are attempting to realize something that on paper is greater than any individual: Beethoven's Ninth as a promise of a better world.

Conductor Pablo Mielgo took the score seriously, almost programmatically. His interpretation was not aimed at showmanship but at drama and precision. The slow sections breathed, the scherzo lived off clear contrasts, and the transitions to the finale had weight. Still, I felt that the conductor's gaze sometimes went too much into detail: too many nuances that dissected the whole instead of lifting it. Beethoven demands both monumentality and clarity — both were not achieved consistently.

One strength of the evening was the chorus: Cor Studium presented itself homophonically, rhythmically tight and with the energy that makes such a massive choral part believable. In the coda, when the famous spark of the gods ignited, the chorus caught fire: sound swept through the hall and swept you along. That was the moment when Beethoven's utopia, however blatant it may be, began to feel real.

Among the soloists the range between solid craft and questionable choices was evident. Baritone Sebastià Serra delivered the famous exclamation "O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!" in an operatic manner, with much expression — effective, but at times steeper than necessary; the dramatic approach sometimes stifled the plain authority of the text. Tenor Joan Laínez seemed at times surprised by the linguistic sharpness of the German poetry; imprecise stresses made some words hard to understand. The two female singers, Marta Bauzà (soprano) and Bergoña Gómez (mezzo-soprano), brought freshness and a pleasant restraint in vibrato that left space for the choir and orchestra.

Orchestrally much was well prepared: detailed work, clean entries, a homogeneous wind section. Yet in a work that lives so much from proportions, the perspective shifts when the conductor treats individual phrases as too prominent. Then the impression arises that the finale speaks at the listener rather than drawing them in. The Auditorium itself helped and hindered at the same time: the acoustics rewarded dense sound constructions but made overtones and imprecise diction audible.

What rarely appears enough in public discussion showed itself that evening: the debate about textual clarity and musical communication. In a symphony in which words carry the idea, a clear, understandable delivery is mandatory. Even more important is the question of rehearsal time and working conditions. A choir like Cor Studium does not shine by accident — rehearsal continuity, professional practice conditions and sufficient preparation time are the invisible ingredients.

A small everyday scene after the concert: couples and lone listeners stand in front of the entrance, the wind musses scarves, one can hear the lingering final chords in snippets of conversation. An older man, still in evening wear, good-naturedly criticizes the passages he found too theatrical, a young woman praises the soprano because she "sang so clearly." Such conversations show how music is not only performed but experienced here in Mallorca.

Concrete suggestions so that the Ninth may appear even more powerful and accessible in the future:

1) More focus on text work: diction coaching for soloists, distributed rehearsals with speakers, clearly printed texts in the program or surtitles.

2) Better balance between detailed work and the overall arc: a rehearsal concept that deliberately leaves out phrases to test the big picture — less can sometimes be more effective.

3) Investment in rehearsal time and fees: good performances need room to grow; regular funding for orchestras and choirs pays off artistically and for audiences.

4) Audience engagement: pre-concert introductions, discussion sessions after the performance and youth audience passes strengthen the connection between work and listener.

Conclusion: the evening at the Auditorium was a mosaic of impressions. There were moments of grand gesture and genuine choral euphoria, alongside passages where a love of detail and problematic text clarity disturbed the flow. Beethoven demands utopia, but he also demands intelligibility. Whoever wants both must invest in rehearsals, mediation and audibility. For Palma, however, remains: when the spark of the gods once sweeps through the hall, one forgets the small blurs — brief, loud, and not without hope.

Place and time: Auditorium de Palma, a December evening; sounds and conversations after the concert, Passeig Mallorca in the rain.