There is a common excuse that one might hear from those who hold an unfavorable opinion of classical music. It is: "I can't understand it. It's boring." And true, even to those who love or have studied classical music, there are pieces that are melodically or thematically incomprehensible and are hard to fully appreciate. But to anyone who attended the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra's performance of Gustav Mahler's First Symphony, Titan, on April 14 in the Slosberg Recital Hall, would feel neither unenlightened nor underwhelmed. The orchestra's meticulous preparation of the difficult piece, Prof. Neal Hampton's (MUS) passionate and emotive conducting and the foreword on the composer's vision by Prof. Eric Chafe (MUS) made this masterpiece of early Mahler impossible not to enjoy.Before the performance, Chafe shared his extensive knowledge on the history and musical themes behind the symphony. Mahler was a late-Romantic composer whose stunning harmonies and modernist tendencies garnered him recognition during his own time as well as into the 21st century. He was a composer who was heavily inspired by songs, and his affinity for simpler, more recognizable melodies could be felt throughout the symphony. Chafe, with the help of Hampton and the orchestra, played these common strands of melody that would be repeated throughout the movement so the audience would recognize the theme when heard in full later on.

Though composers work primarily with pitches, melodies and harmonies, Mahler could also be considered a visual artist. Evoking a visual scene is not an easy thing to do with music, but Mahler easily manipulated this by using a unique feature of string instruments. Strings, in order to create a pure tone, must be pressed against a hard surface and vibrated. But they follow the laws of harmonics-when a string is lightly touched at a certain point and bowed, it makes an eerie, raspy tone one octave above the pure tone. Mahler employed the soft, murmuring ring in the first movement of his symphony to evoke the image of early morning mist rising gently from the ground. It was an interesting and refreshing sound, a contrast to the simple and hummable melodies that would soon follow.

One such recognizable melody was the popular children's nursery song "Fraere Jacques," albeit worked into such a slow, heavy march that it could be played at a funeral dirge for Fraere Jacques himself. Though Mahler's affinity was for songs, he also wrote strains of soaring triumph and melodies of pure emotional flight and grandeur that pushed the body into the seat with sheer power. And, again drawing from Romantic inspiration, he also worked coy and flirtatious melodies into his third movement.

Mahler is a very difficult composer to play, as his melodies stretch all across the board, from gloomy marches to joyous waltzes to triumphant elevation. But it was clear that the orchestra itself connected deeply with the music; each member played each measure with an electric passion. Especially commendable were the strings. During the slow and ponderous second movement, the cellos and basses showcased the emotive power of their warm sound. And the violins and violas played with the vigor of professionals. This passionate connection to Mahler's music was especially noticeable in the more static parts of the melodies which could have been dangerously boring if not played the way they were.

This interpretation of Mahler's symphony was easily one of the finest concerts that Brandeis has seen this year, and if the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra maintains this passion, many more excellent nights are sure to come to the Slosberg Recital Hall.