Trailing the magnificent Vladimir Jurowski

by Gwen Herat at the Royal Festival Hall, London

Each time I am in London, I am on the trail of Vladimir Jurowski which is why I head to the Southbank Centre. Meeting Jurowski and watching him rehearse, perform and direct the London Philharmonic Orchestra is a fulfilment of a journey into the world of classical music... from my tender age under my teacher, Glenice Range who strived hard to get notes and scores into my wandering mind. I love her for opening the doors to a wonderful world of classical music. He is the principal conductor for the last three years who has already made an astonishing impact not only on London musical life but also around the globe. Considered as one of the hottest properties on the conducting market, his obvious charisma, clearly endeared him to orchestras, critics and public alike. Each season he explores a composer at the Southbank Centre and each season I am there to watch him perform. He was great with Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Alfred Schnittke last year. This year, he focuses on Mahler.

The anniversaries of the composer's birth and death with an exploration of his great works are on at the Royal Festival Hall.

Vladimir Jurowski conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

And who could be better than Vladimir Jurowski to do so?

As the principal conductor of the LPH, I found him explaining the emmersive aspect of the composer. Talking about Mahler, he said, is like talking about one's love for Shakespeare or Pushkin. One could not live without Mahler.

Jurowski's affair with Mahler began when he found a recording of Mahler's 'FIFTH SYMPHONY' in his father's record collection. When he heard it he wanted to become a conductor one day.

And Jurowski did it in style. He is one of the three leading conductors of the day on the international scene. His name rings magic to millions who throng the Southbank Centre in search of his flawless and spectacular conducting. With his avante-garde superiority, he has already marked his place in the high classical scene. Jurowski is looked up to by the emerging conductors, performing musicians and musicologists as their guiding star.

I sat in a corner seat with great expectation as though the Messiah was about to appear. Watching Jurowski rehearse Mahler's SYMPHONY No. 4 in preparation for the season was simply marvellous. His conducting this symphony is a part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's year-long serving of the great Mahler's contented pastoral of the Fourth Symphony that contains some of the composer's most heart-easing music. The complexity of it was easy for me to understand and absorb my mind in great depth. (A far cry away from the day I asked my teacher what a bass and treble clef was, the first day I sat at the keyboard. And later, she said I will never make a concert pianist but I still love my teacher Glenice Range for making me what I am.)

Apart from Symphony No. 4 Jurowski has picker Maler's Symphony No. 3, Symphony No. 1, (the original version) Das Klagende Lied (original verson) Suite from the Orchestral Works of JS bach, songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

Mahler's works are not confined to Jurowski alone and they are played by other orchestras based at the Southbank Centre. On the other hand, Jurowski also takes on other composers, works that are equally virtuoistic and spectacular.

Gustav Mahler at the LPO

Symphony No. 1 in D (1884-88): The composer described this symphony like the sound of nature and as a struggle against the cosmic forces.

Symphony No. 4 in G (1900): One of the shortest culminating in a fourth movement and the joyous of all Mahler's symphonies.It is considered the best of his nine symphonies which made Jurowski performs it over and over again.

Des Lied Von Der Erde (1909): which means The Song of Earth considered by many to be the most beautiful and personal of Mahler's works. The composer referred to this as a symphony. This score is used as from poems from Chinese writers which examins human life as a transient stage in earthly renewel.

Symphony No. 2 in D. minor (1896. rev. 1906)

Des Knaben Wunderhorn - (1892-98) A song cycle

Playing these scores, Jurowski resurrects Mahler especially in Symphony No. 9 when everything would erupt in 2011 when he invites us to Mahler's turning point. Jurowski who is powerfully passionate on Mahler who changed his life at 15 when he heard one of Mahler's symphonies that spurred him to what he is today.

Most of Jurowski's conducting is assured and heralds new orchestral style most of the time. He has the explosive and emotive power to take on any Master let alone Mahler. He is remarkable with a consistency of innovative art in his baton. I watched him yield it many a time.

He possesses a free-flowing momentum even at crescendo height to bring it down softly and gently. He can even extinguish fire-power in certain scores if he decides to do so. That is something I like and found in Jurowski.

To handle a few orchestral creations that rise on so many levels of Maler that are tricky enthralling and psychological, comes easy to Jurowski. He would put the strings and winds sperately until they are picture-perfect and evolve into his orchestra.

So much so, is Vladimir Jurowski.