The Albany Symphony and Music Director David Alan Miller will present Gustav Mahler’s youthful masterpiece, the Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” at the Palace Theater in Albany on May 14, 2016. This major work from the late Romantic Period is scored for an enormous orchestra including off-stage brass and percussion, chorus, and two vocal soloists. The Albany Symphony will be joined by the acclaimed voices of Albany Pro Musica, 120-members strong, under the direction of Jose Daniel Flores, as well as Met Opera Diva Lucille Beer and rising soprano, Angela Vallone.
Composed between 1888 and 1894, Mahler’s 2nd Symphony began as a single-movement symphonic poem called Totenfeier (Funeral Rites) that eventually evolved into a monumental five-movement symphony culminating in an ecstatic vision of resurrection.
Considered by many to be the apex of high Romantic symphonic virtuosity, Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony is a monumental undertaking for any orchestra. With over 200 musicians on stage, this performance will be the Albany symphony’s largest production in several years. Music Director Miller says: “It is a great privilege for the musicians of the Albany Symphony and me to be able to bring this major masterpiece to our Capital Region audience, and to share the stage with our great friends, Albany Pro Musica. This piece, more than any other, made me want to become a conductor when I was 15 years old. Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony is one of the most overpowering, life-affirming works of art I know. If you don’t already know it, it may change your life.”
Generous funding for this concert is provided in part by Steven Einhorn, Eileen LaCorte of LaCorte Companies, Thomas Marusak of Comfortex, Daniel P. Nolan of Hugh Johnson Advisors, Barry Richman & Pearl Grant Richman, and Edward Swyer of The Swyer Companies.
Learn more about Mahler's Resurrection Symphony online with NPR Music