Most of you will know by now that I'm an avid Mahler fan. Actually, we both are.
So when we read the Mahler 8 was sceduled in Cottbus (see the two blogs before this one) we decided on the spot we had to be there.
The Mahler 8 is of course a bit of a maverick in the Mahler symphonies: 'only' two parts and voices and orchestra are equally important. And then the massive amount of participants it requires: an almost doubled orchestra, two full choirs, a children's (or boys) choir, eight soloists.
No wonder they nicknamed it the Symphonie der Tausend - 600 singers and musicians is about the minimum required.
So not your common or garden symfony. We happen to have quite a history with it.
The first time we heard it IRL was in the New York Carnegie Hall: the Staatskapelle Berlin under Pierre Boulez. We managed to get the last tickets, in a corner high above in the upper tiers.
So we heard, and hardly saw performed, somewhat weird music. The massive choirs we heard, yes, their sound multiplied by the shape of the hall before it reached us. But the orchestra was definitely reduced to a small chamber orchestra - hardly audible.
A strange experience and not for the faint hearted: getting up to applaud you had the definite feeling you were keeling over into the abyss, a couple of floors below.
The second time we heard the Eight was even more special: the Symphony was performed at the First Night of the Proms in the London Albert Hall, a couple of years ago. My cousin Paul sang in one of the choirs - the Sydney Philharmonic Choir - and thanks to him we sat near his choir watching all these thrilled concert goers, all the time knowing that my cousin sang there - we were so proud and happy to be at this very special occasion.
This performance was very good by the way, Jiri Belolávek conducting the BBC SO.
And now came the third time.
In Cottbus.
But not in the Mastodont, the Cottbus theatre. Not enough space!
The concert was to be performed in the local Arena. The Lausitz Arena. The sports hall. Like, where boxing matches are held.
And that of course was a must go.
Just imagine, going to Eastern Germany to hear the Mahler 8 being performed in an ... Arena.
We booked tickets - cheaper than we could have imagined - booked a hotel in Cottbus and when arrived rented bicycles to check out this Arena.
Good decision, because we soon found ourselves in a huge sports complex, clueless as to where this Arena actually was. Luckily a kind German told us, and warned us there wasn't much parking space - better go in the evening on our bicycles.
Next we cycled through a lovely wood, green with tiny new leaves, we cycled on beautiful tracks, we enjoyed the spring air, visited unknown parts of the city and it's surroundings. And in the evening we cycled, in our concert outfit, to the Arena.
I am absolutely sure that never in its history the Symphonie der Tausend was performed in a place as strange as this.
A sports hall. In it 600 performers and some 1200 attenders. Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and two Dutch.
And after a very interesting performance of Philippe Manoury's Melencolia-Figuren by the orchestra and the Arditti quartet (the members of the quartet stayed in our hotel) an amazing, wonderful performance the Mahler 8.
The performance itself - this is for the afficionados - was really good and so not like the benchmark performances we're used to. The conductor - Evan Christ - went for up tempo and steered orchestra, choirs and soloists enthusiastically onto the Highway. He very (very) well kept his pace and we were soon in a whirlwind of wonderful music - kudos for this approach, a pleasant detour from the ponderous meaningful and philosophical approaches you often hear from the famous conductors & orchestras, especially the older performances.
Strange but refreshing. And the couple of soft, intimate parts hit you right between the eyes - again kudos! Evan Christ, we hadn't heard of you yet. Compliments. Great performance!
So when we read the Mahler 8 was sceduled in Cottbus (see the two blogs before this one) we decided on the spot we had to be there.
The Mahler 8 is of course a bit of a maverick in the Mahler symphonies: 'only' two parts and voices and orchestra are equally important. And then the massive amount of participants it requires: an almost doubled orchestra, two full choirs, a children's (or boys) choir, eight soloists.
No wonder they nicknamed it the Symphonie der Tausend - 600 singers and musicians is about the minimum required.
So not your common or garden symfony. We happen to have quite a history with it.
The first time we heard it IRL was in the New York Carnegie Hall: the Staatskapelle Berlin under Pierre Boulez. We managed to get the last tickets, in a corner high above in the upper tiers.
So we heard, and hardly saw performed, somewhat weird music. The massive choirs we heard, yes, their sound multiplied by the shape of the hall before it reached us. But the orchestra was definitely reduced to a small chamber orchestra - hardly audible.
A strange experience and not for the faint hearted: getting up to applaud you had the definite feeling you were keeling over into the abyss, a couple of floors below.
The second time we heard the Eight was even more special: the Symphony was performed at the First Night of the Proms in the London Albert Hall, a couple of years ago. My cousin Paul sang in one of the choirs - the Sydney Philharmonic Choir - and thanks to him we sat near his choir watching all these thrilled concert goers, all the time knowing that my cousin sang there - we were so proud and happy to be at this very special occasion.
This performance was very good by the way, Jiri Belolávek conducting the BBC SO.
And now came the third time.
In Cottbus.
But not in the Mastodont, the Cottbus theatre. Not enough space!
The concert was to be performed in the local Arena. The Lausitz Arena. The sports hall. Like, where boxing matches are held.
And that of course was a must go.
Just imagine, going to Eastern Germany to hear the Mahler 8 being performed in an ... Arena.
We booked tickets - cheaper than we could have imagined - booked a hotel in Cottbus and when arrived rented bicycles to check out this Arena.
Good decision, because we soon found ourselves in a huge sports complex, clueless as to where this Arena actually was. Luckily a kind German told us, and warned us there wasn't much parking space - better go in the evening on our bicycles.
Next we cycled through a lovely wood, green with tiny new leaves, we cycled on beautiful tracks, we enjoyed the spring air, visited unknown parts of the city and it's surroundings. And in the evening we cycled, in our concert outfit, to the Arena.
I am absolutely sure that never in its history the Symphonie der Tausend was performed in a place as strange as this.
A sports hall. In it 600 performers and some 1200 attenders. Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and two Dutch.
And after a very interesting performance of Philippe Manoury's Melencolia-Figuren by the orchestra and the Arditti quartet (the members of the quartet stayed in our hotel) an amazing, wonderful performance the Mahler 8.
The performance itself - this is for the afficionados - was really good and so not like the benchmark performances we're used to. The conductor - Evan Christ - went for up tempo and steered orchestra, choirs and soloists enthusiastically onto the Highway. He very (very) well kept his pace and we were soon in a whirlwind of wonderful music - kudos for this approach, a pleasant detour from the ponderous meaningful and philosophical approaches you often hear from the famous conductors & orchestras, especially the older performances.
Strange but refreshing. And the couple of soft, intimate parts hit you right between the eyes - again kudos! Evan Christ, we hadn't heard of you yet. Compliments. Great performance!
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