Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s Mahler project continues this Autumn with the release of Symphony No.1 on Alpha Classics. The album release is followed by three performances of Symphony No.2 (which will also be recordeded live) at the Tonhalle Zürich (12 – 14 November), and a tour to Vienna, Baden Baden, Köln and Paris (28 November – 2 December) featuring performances of both Symphonies Nos 1 & 2.
“For me, Mahler encompasses the whole of the history of music that went before him” says Paavo. “With our cycle we are gradually unfolding his work, expanding the portrait we gained from his Fifth Symphony by returning to the very beginning – to Symphony No. 1. This is young Mahler, still hopeful, believing in goodness of the world. We badly need this type of music right now.”
Germany’s Rondo Magazine was the first to review the new release, giving it five stars and commenting: “Everything begins with nothingness. And into this silence and emptiness, Paavo Järvi and his Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich now sow the seeds from which something great will grow and develop … With their recording of the Fifth, released at the beginning of the year, the musicians already underscored Zurich“s reputation as a great place for Mahler. With the First, they now impressively confirm this certainty.”
More about this release here