G. Mahler. Symphony No. 8

More than 300 musicians and singers on the stage of the Copenhagen Concert Hall,

including eight vocal soloists, three large choirs and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its famous chief conductor Fabio Luisi, perform Gustav Mahler's most ambitious Symphony No. 8.

The symphony was written by the composer in record time, in just a few weeks. But it became the most ambitious work. Mahler conceived it as a sublime ode to man, his creative spirit, an ode to beauty and "eternal femininity". Mahler considered it a "symphony of symphonies", crowning the symphonic epic that the author had been creating for two decades. He claimed that all his previous symphonies were nothing more than preludes to the Eighth. "Imagine that the Universe begins to sound and ring. There are no human voices, but planets and suns are spinning." The performance of the symphony requires enormous vocal and instrumental strength, which is why it was called the "Symphony of a Thousand".

This symphony by Mahler was the last one to be premiered during his lifetime. It was first performed in Munich on September 12, 1910.

WORKS:

G. Mahler. Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major

PERFORMERS:

Danish National Symphony Orchestra

Conductor - Fabio Luisi

Soloists:

Ricarda Merbeth

Henriette Bonde-Hansen

Sofia Fomini

Marianne Beate Kielland

Olesya Petrova

Stefan Vinke

Russell Brown

Günther Groissbøk

Copenhagen Concert Hall. November 2017.