Mahler
Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major (‘Symphony of a Thousand')
It is a cause for celebration for any conductor and any orchestra when they get the chance to perform Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in front of an audience: the world premiere of the work, conducted by Mahler himself, employed more than a thousand participants on stage. Although the composer never embraced the name ‘Symphony of a Thousand’, this phrase still captures something of the extraordinary dimensions of the composition. As the composer himself put it, it was “the most magnificent of anything I have yet written. The work is so unique in terms of content and form that it is impossible to speak of it.”
Austrian composer Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major was premiered in 1910. Its admirers hail the piece as one of the greatest musical works of all time. Due to the large number of singers, some classify it as a cantata. As the composer wrote to the legendary conductor Willem Mengelberg, “All my other symphonies have been merely preludes to this one. The other symphonies are filled with individual tragedy – but this one flows with nothing but joy. (…) It is the most magnificent of anything I have yet written. The work is so unique in terms of content and form that it is impossible to speak of it. It seems as if the entire universe begins to sound and ring. It is not just human voices singing, but the planets rotating and the sun…” And it is worth noting how Mahler closed these lines to Mengelberg: “I shall tell you the rest in person.”
Presented by: Hungarian Radio Art Groups
Conductor:
Featuring:
-
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.