I love Mahler. Like Strauss, it’s the kind of music that the modern string player (or any instrumentalist in a symphony orchestra, for that matter) has trained for their entire life. The technical and musical demands are many, especially in this – perhaps the most popular – wonderfully complex and exciting symphony, the Fifth. We had our first rehearsals on the piece today, and I’ll fill you in on my thoughts as the week goes on. For now, here’s a nice way to study up on the symphony before the concerts arrive – there is a streaming performance (one of the best available, imho) of Claudio Abbado conducting the Lucerne Festival Orchestra (essentially an all-star orchestra of the best players in Europe) that is available for free to Amazon Prime members. So, put that $80/year to good use and get yourself some fine culture!
Here’s the link, and below is a trailer from YouTube of the performance video.