| Main Performers | Sarah Wegener,
Jacquelyn Wagner,
Regula Mühlemann,
Jennifer Johnston,
Claudia Huckle,
Vincent Wolfsteiner,
Michael Nagy,
James Platt - vocals |
| Orchestra or Band | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) |
| Choirs | Philharmonia Chorus,
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus,
City of London Choir,
Tiffin Boys Choir |
| Set List | 'Symphony No.8 in E Flat Major - Symphony of a Thousand', Mahler |
| Performance Notes | This event was rescheduled from 18 October 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The name of the event was updated from Mahlers Symphony No. 8 to Journeys of Discovery: Redemption.
A rare treat for Mahler-lovers and anyone who likes their symphonies on the grandest scale.
Can you imagine a symphony that is, from beginning to end, song? This was the ambitious vision that struck Mahler like lightening and had him composing in a frenzy. Within three months he had sketched his most epic work, echoing religious themes from earlier symphonies while taking them to a whole new level.
The first half is a celebration of the divine spirit. The second half, inspired by Goethes Faust, starts with woodlands wavering into view and ends with dazzling visions of angels and the life eternal.
From the thundering organ chord and the double choir of the opening to the amassed brass at the end, the symphony delivers its message of redemption with the largest forces imaginable on stage . Initially promoted as the Symphony of a Thousand due to the numerous performers, Mahler is both exuberant and restrained. His more subdued, economic writing is every bit as powerful as the big set-pieces.
Neither cantata nor opera, the composers lightening-strike vision was for how the worlds of instrument and voice might come together: a True Symphony, in Mahlers words.
Hospitality Dining tickets were available for £185.50 per person, which included a premium Stalls seat, champagne, three-course dinner and souvenir programme. |
| Related Archival Material | RAHE/1/2022/105) |