The commitment of Riccardo Chailly always amazes! Due to the large number of personnel, Mahler's Eighth or 'Symphony of the Thousand' had been missing from La Scala since 1970 conducted by Seiji Ozawa. It was a titanic feat that Maestro Chailly conducted with his usual mastery and featured almost 400 elements between the orchestra, the theatre choir conducted by Alberto Malazzi, the treble voices choir conducted by Bruno Casoni and the Fenice di Venezia choir conducted by Alfonso Caiani, in a harmonious performance and a truly unique fusion of voices. Great soloists: Ricarda Merbeth (Magna Peccatrix), Polina Pastirchak (Una poenitentium), Regula Mühlemann (Mater gloriosa), Wiebke Lehmkuhl (Mulier Samaritana), Okka von der Damerau (Maria Aegyptiaca), Klaus Florian Vogt (Doctor Marianus), Michael Volle (Pater ecstaticus) and Ain Anger (Pater profundus).
At the end well-deserved ovations and applause. The new acoustic chamber made of multilayer okumé wood panels also contributed to the excellent outcome of this concert.
This perfect execution can also be followed at LaScalaTv.co.uk
Photos Brescia Amisano
