Earthquake Rattles Suntory Hall During LSO's Tokyo Mahler 2

The ground moved at Suntory Hall while the London Symphony Orchestra played Mahler's Second Symphony in Tokyo. It moved again in the middle of the night.

Gareth Davies, principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra, reported both events. "The earth shook at Suntory Hall during Mahler 2 and then in the middle of the night with a small earthquake. It's raining. A lot," he said.

Davies did not say whether the orchestra paused during the tremor. His account, posted on social media, puts the LSO in Tokyo for a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, the "Resurrection," at Suntory Hall, the 2,006-seat concert venue in the Akasaka district that has served as one of the Japanese capital's principal halls since 1986.

The authorities put the quake at between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale. The Japan Meteorological Agency said there is no visible threat of a tsunami.

Tokyo sits in one of the world's most seismically active regions, and performers touring Japan not infrequently encounter tremors mid-concert. For an orchestra of the LSO's size, a magnitude 4-to-5 event during a Mahler symphony — a work that runs roughly 85 minutes and demands sustained concentration from some 100 players — ranks as an unusual test of professional composure.

Davies's mention of heavy rain adds a second layer to the picture of a turbulent night in the capital. He gave no indication of damage at Suntory Hall or disruption to the orchestra's schedule.

The LSO has not commented beyond Davies's remarks, and details of the performance — the conductor and soloists — were not specified in his account.

For audiences in Tokyo, the episode is a reminder that Mahler's "Resurrection," a symphony about death and transcendence, can acquire unplanned literal resonances. Whether the tremor made it into anyone's review of the evening remains to be seen.