Name: Festival Orchestra: Conlon conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler
Start: 2023-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2023-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Benedict Music Tent

Organization

Aspen Music Festival

Conductor

James Conlon

Pianist

Lise de la Salle

Piano

Mezzo-soprano

Sasha Cooke

Mezzosopran

Tenor

Rodrick Dixon

Orchestra

The Aspen Festival Orchestra

Festival Orchestra: Conlon conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler

Aspen

United States

Benedict Music Tent

Tune in to a free livestream of this concert live from the Benedict Music Tent.

Yes, there is a second Mendelssohn piano concerto. Mysteriously, it’s become eclipsed by the first one, even though it’s comparable in merit both pianistically and musically. Mendelssohn had a long and reciprocal love affair with England, and he wrote the piece for the Birmingham Music Festival. When he premiered it himself, the audience must have been delighted by both the craftsmanship and heartfelt lyricism of their German hero. His performance was equally impressive, causing one British critic to write: “In forcible and impetuous passages, there was a force and an élan which almost took one's breath away. His touch was exquisitely delicate, his fingers sang as they rippled over the keyboard." The charismatic Lise de la Salle has garnered similar praise: “For much of the concert, the audience had to remember to breathe... the exhilaration didn’t let up for a second until her hands came off the keyboard.” (Washington Post)

Few composers had as profound a connection to the earth as Gustav Mahler. He rejected the treatment of Nature as something merely picturesque, believing that becoming one with Nature is a way to transcend ordinary life. The Song of the Earth is a six-movement orchestral song cycle alternating between alto and tenor voices. It was written during the most painful period of Mahler’s life, following the forced resignation from the Vienna State Opera, the death of his daughter, and the diagnosis of a congenital heart defect. Yet he wrote that he was “thirstier than ever for life and [found] the ‘habit of living’ sweeter than ever.” Even so, the theme of death which is ubiquitous in all of Mahler’s work permeates the work as in few others. Although he called it a symphony, he resisted giving it a number, believing that no one should surpass Beethoven’s total of nine and that he would hurry his own end, as did Bruckner with his unfinished Ninth. No one said farewell as movingly, powerfully, or often as Mahler, and in the final movement – longer than the previous five combined – he takes us on a journey of departure that begins with a long march, leads to a vision of mountains (a metaphor for heaven), and ultimately eternity.

Thrill to the artistry of Lise de la Salle and be moved by Mahler’s most personal work sung by a pair of internationally renowned soloists.

Festival Orchestra: Conlon conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, op. 40 Mendelssohn (+1 More)

Public

Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, op. 40

The Song of the Earth

Approved

Bass

Instrumentalist

Violinist

Cellist

Violist

Flutist

Clarinetist

Guitarist

Organist

Percussionist

hornist

Oboist

Bassoonist

Trumpeter

Contrabassist

Trombonist

Harper

Saxophonist

Harpsichordist

Accordionist

Bassist

Tuba Player

Recorder Player

Lutenist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Mandoline Player

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Violino Piccolo Player

Viola da gamba

Musette de cour Player

Viola Pomposa Player

Archlutenist

Vibraphonist

Cornettist

Viola d’amore Player

Theorbist

Composer

Stage director

Librettist

Set designer

Costume designer

Choreographer

Lighting designer

Dancer

Actor

Chorus master

Video designer

Dramaturge

Translator

Sound designer

Repetiteur

Makeup artist

Executive producer

Hairstylist

Other

Stage Manager

Choir

Poet

Vocal coach

Teacher

Photographer

Broadcasting

Writer

Writing and performance

Chorus Director

Wig & Makeup Designer

Orchestra Operations

Illustrator

Extra

Countertenor

Singer

Bass-baritone

Contralto

Soprano

Baritone

Spoken

Child vocalist

Silent

Alto

Continuo

Yes, there is a second Mendelssohn piano concerto. Mysteriously, it’s become eclipsed by the first one, even though it’s comparable in merit both pianistically and musically. Mendelssohn had a long and reciprocal love affair with England, and he wrote the piece for the Birmingham Music Festival. When he premiered it himself, the audience must have been delighted by both the craftsmanship and heartfelt lyricism of their German hero. His performance was equally impressive, causing one British critic to write: “In forcible and impetuous passages, there was a force and an élan which almost took one's breath away. His touch was exquisitely delicate, his fingers sang as they rippled over the keyboard." The charismatic Lise de la Salle has garnered similar praise: “For much of the concert, the audience had to remember to breathe... the exhilaration didn’t let up for a second until her hands came off the keyboard.” (Washington Post)

Few composers had as profound a connection to the earth as Gustav Mahler. He rejected the treatment of Nature as something merely picturesque, believing that becoming one with Nature is a way to transcend ordinary life. The Song of the Earth is a six-movement orchestral song cycle alternating between alto and tenor voices. It was written during the most painful period of Mahler’s life, following the forced resignation from the Vienna State Opera, the death of his daughter, and the diagnosis of a congenital heart defect. Yet he wrote that he was “thirstier than ever for life and [found] the ‘habit of living’ sweeter than ever.” Even so, the theme of death which is ubiquitous in all of Mahler’s work permeates the work as in few others. Although he called it a symphony, he resisted giving it a number, believing that no one should surpass Beethoven’s total of nine and that he would hurry his own end, as did Bruckner with his unfinished Ninth. No one said farewell as movingly, powerfully, or often as Mahler, and in the final movement – longer than the previous five combined – he takes us on a journey of departure that begins with a long march, leads to a vision of mountains (a metaphor for heaven), and ultimately eternity.

Thrill to the artistry of Lise de la Salle and be moved by Mahler’s most personal work sung by a pair of internationally renowned soloists.

English

Festival Orchestra: Conlon conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler by Mendelssohn, Mahler, Sun 23 Jul 2023, From (2023/2023), Conductor James Conlon, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues