Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (2SACD)

The Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä present Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony, an extraordinary work in every respect. Scored for expansive Wagnerian woodwind and brass sections, post horn, a large percussion section, women's choir, an alto and boys' choir, the symphony is over 100 minutes long and full of extreme emotion. It reveals what the composer wanted to say about his own connection to nature and humanity's place in it: "My symphony will be something the world has never heard before! All of nature will have a voice in it ...", he wrote about this mammoth work. The recording was made following a concert performance in November 2022. In this musical dialog with nature, we hear the beautiful voices of English mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, the Minnesota Boychoir and the women of the Minnesota Chorale. The symphony's finale, a deeply captivating adagio, is certainly one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. This is the last work recorded by the Minnesota Orchestra and its Honorary Conductor Osmo Vänskä and is a worthy conclusion to this cycle, which began in 2016.