ConcertPulse
Utopia / Teodor Currentzis
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
NDR called the Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis a »pyrotechnician on the podium« after he presented his new project orchestra »Utopia« at the Laeiszhalle in autumn 2022: »It trills, vibrates and sparkles in every bar. The orchestra’s delight in playing is palpable. The audience is enthralled and enraptured, cheering after every piece.« After another guest appearance at the Elbphilharmonie last May, the 100-plus musicians from 30 nations are now returning to Hamburg – this time to play Gustav Mahler’s popular Fifth Symphony. »Utopia« is made up of members of top European orchestras. Similar to the international all-star orchestras once initiated by Claudio Abbado, it is primarily left to the charisma of the chief conductor to put together a top-class line-up. And Currentzis is just the man for the job. Hardly any other conductor of our time has sparked such a cult around his person thanks to his genius, his dedication and the reputation he cultivates as the »enfant terrible« of classical music. To this end, Currentzis regularly chooses gripping works whose intensity and sonority bring out his creative drive and the qualities of his orchestra to best effect. In this case, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, which captivates the audience from the opening funeral march to the turbulent finale. At the centre is the yearning-filled Adagietto, which became famous as the film music Luchino Visconti used in the soundtrack to »Death in Venice«.
