MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO. 2 (PAL)

Gustav MAHLER

Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection"

Eteri Gvazava, Anna Larsson, Orfeón Donostiarra
Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado

DV-COMS2

Picture Format: 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound Format: PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Running Time: 86 mins
Region Code: PAL All
Booklet Languages: GB, F, D
Recording Date: 20 August 2003

As part of its successful DVD series of highlights of the international concert season, TDK presents a recording of the impressive Resurrection Symphony, with which the newly founded Lucerne Festival Orchestra celebrated its first season at the 2003 Lucerne festival. This prestigious festival can look back on a long history of festival orchestras, a tradition that started with Arturo Toscanini and the legendary 'Concert de Gala' in 1938. For half a century, from 1943 to 1993, the Swiss Festival Orchestra was an integral part of the summer festival in Lucerne. It was made up of Switzerland's best orchestral musicians and many famous conductors gave their debut in Lucerne with the SFO.

The Lucerne Festival Orchestra, founded by Claudio Abbado, sees itself as part of this great tradition and gained immediate international recognition following its premiere during the summer festival 2003. "A conductor is back, an orchestra reborn" wrote the New York Times and the Berlin Tagesspiegel called it "a miracle".

The ensemble includes principal players from the Berlin Philharmonic, internationally famous soloists like Kolja Blacher, Wolfram Christ, Natalia Gutman, Albrecht Mayer and Emanuel Pahud and includes such ensembles as the Sabine Meyer Ensemble, the Hagen Quartet and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra opened the Lucerne Festival 2003 under the baton of their founder and conductor Claudio Abbado and their performance of the 2nd Symphony by Gustav Mahler was acclaimed as the highlight of the festival. For this concert the orchestra was joined by Eteri Gvazava and Anna Larsson, two outstanding singers from the international opera scene and the evening proved unforgettable. The DVD gives viewers the chance to revive this memorable musical event and share the musicians' enthusiasm for this wonderful romantic work.