London, UK – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Puccini, Bernstein, Mahler

Vasily Petrenko Conductor
Paul Whittaker BSL Performer
Philharmonia Chorus
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAMME
Puccini: Preludio sinfonico
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Mahler: Symphony No.1, ‘Titan’

ORCHESTRA NOTE
f silence had a sound, what would you hear? Maybe something like the massive stillness that opens Mahler’s First Symphony. A magical spring dawn, or the creation of life itself? It’s the starting point for a young artist’s journey through tragedy and triumph – a voyage through life and death, birdsong and fanfares, funeral marches and Viennese waltzes.

Mahler said that ‘the symphony should be like the world – it must embrace everything’, and no recording does the First Symphony justice: it’s one of those pieces that you simply have to experience live.

First, though, a majestic interlude from Puccini sets the scene for Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Raising the roof with a shout of joy, this setting of three Hebrew psalms is both affirming and exhilarating – a timeless plea for peace and unity.