I’m gestating a blog entry about community orchestras, but in the meantime, please enjoy this video featuring Principal trumpeter Jeff Work and Acting principal bassist Ted Botsford, as they talk about why this weekend’s concert featuring Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Miracle” Symphony No. 96 and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Without a Number “Das Lied von der Erde” is a must-see event.
In my opinion, aside from the fact that this is one of Mahler’s most heartfelt and intimate compositions, and that the Oregon Symphony is sounding in top form these days, the two vocal soloists that sing through much of this work are simply outstanding, and worth the price of admission all on their own. Tenor Anthony Dean Griffey is magnificent, and garnered rave reviews for his portrayal of Peter Grimes in the recent Metropolitan Opera production of the eponymous opera. Mezzo soprano Tamara Mumford, who was a last-minute replacement for a double-booked artist, is also impressive, having sung with the Met this season in productions of Wozzeck and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.