Mahler 2
Gewandhausorchester, Nelsons, MDR Radio Choir

Gustav Mahler composed the first movement of his Second Symphony in Leipzig. It begins very somberly and was initially conceived by Mahler as a single piece, to which he gave the title “Todtenfeier”. Ultimately, however, it was the “prelude” to the Second Symphony, which thematically transcends death and leads into resurrection, giving the symphony its epithet. The Second is a monumental work, combining darkness and splendor, symphonic music and song, and large-scale orchestra with the most filigree solo passages, culminating – following Beethoven’s lead – in a grand final movement with chorus.

At the Leipzig Mahler Festival 2023, the Gewandhausorchester itself took on this grandiose work and, under the baton of Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons and together with soloists Nicola Hillebrand and Gerhild Romberger as well as the MDR Rundfunkchor, presented a rousing performance that, in a “roller coaster of extremes,” explored the entire range from moments of silence to “blaring appeals and departures.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).