When we learned that Kirill Petrenko was recovering with difficulty from a foot injury, we feared the worst. Fortunately, the musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – in convalescence – maintained his performance on Wednesday evening at the Lucerne Festival, for a memorable interpretation of the 7th Symphony by Mahler. In a crowded room, the public applauded the Russian-born conductor and his musicians, invested in an interpretation that is both powerfully structured and detailed in a work that is complex to say the least.
