ConcertPulse
Budapest Festival Orchestra / Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor / Iván Fischer
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
They are a well-rehearsed team: 40 years ago, Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in his home city and led it to world fame over the years. These very welcome Elbphilharmonie guests are celebrating their big anniversary at the Hamburg International Music Festival (the motto is »Future«) with the visionary music of Gustav Mahler. The star line-up continues with Christiane Karg and Anna Lucia Richter in the vocal solos. »Resurrect, yes resurrect, you will!« It is at the end of Mahler’s Second Symphony that the choir vocalises the religiously and philosophically motivated central message of the work with poignant optimism. Performances of the monumental »Resurrection Symphony« remain an impressive event to this day – not only in Hamburg of course, where the composer once had the inspiration for the choral finale in the »Michel« church. How fitting that the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Choir, a Hamburg-based orchestra, should now be performing the finale. The manuscript of the work, which lasts around one and a half hours, was auctioned off several years ago for 5.3 million euros. Fortunately, the live experience of hearing the work is a little more affordable – and priceless at the same time.