The Strad, April 2004

The Helsinki Strings: precision and lyricism

A century after Mahler abandoned plans for a complete performance of his string orchestration of Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet D810, the composer's daughter, Anna, presented his parts to two renowned Mahler scholars, David Matthews and Donald Mitchell. Since 1984, their painstaking reconstruction of Mahler's sonorous arrangement has become a welcome addition to the chamber orchestra repertoire, although some string quartet afficionados might disagree.

A superlative live rendition by The Helsinki Strings highlights the transcription's plus points. The 10-to-20 year olds who perform in Finland's best and brightest string ensemble might just convince sceptics that a huge range of tone colours complemented by a vigorous sense of rhythm adds extra sweep to Schubert's dynamic score. The Hungarian-born Szilvay brothers, responsible for training the group, deserve kudos for their impressive accomplishments. The bold triplet motive that charges through the first movement finds delicate contrast in a rapturously languid second theme. A live performance that adheres both to Mahler's copious sprinkling of crescendos and Schubert's pathos is nothing short of breathtaking. Even the stratospheric first violin passage that brings the Scherzo to a close is rendered with finesse. Unfortunately, some of the delectable inner voices are obscured by an overly resonant recording that favours the first violins.

Proving itself on contemporary grounds, the ensemble offers a brittle-edged rendition of Joonas Kokkonen's chilling venture into postmodern spirituality, entitled '...durch einen Spiegel...' (through a mirror). Few chamber orchestras can dream of The Helsinki Strings' level of precision and lyricism; even fewer pass through the mirror with such style and grace.

Heather Kurzbauer