GUSTAV MAHLER, SYMPHONY N. 1 IN D MAJOR, TITAN - Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory C. Pollini of Padua

GUSTAV MAHLER, SYMPHONY N. 1 IN D MAJOR, TITAN ( CVLD304 )

Author : Gustav Mahler
Performer : Symphony Orchestra of the C. Pollini Conservatory of Padua

Tracks

1 - Langsam, schleppend, 4.40pm
2 - Kraftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell, 7:32
3 - Feirlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen, 11.11am
4 - Sturmisch bewegt - Energisch 9.20pm

total time: 56:44

Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory C.Pollini, conductor Giuliano Medeossi

24bit / 88.2kHz original live recording made at Auditorium Pollini, Padua, March 25, 2018

Production: Velut Luna and Conservatorio C.Pollini of Padua
Executive Producer: Marco Lincetto
Rec ording and Balance Engineer: Marco Lincetto
Music Consultant: Mattia Zanatta
Mix and Mastering Engineer: Marco Lincetto
Cover photo: Marco Lincetto

NOTE ( by Leopoldo Armellini, director of the C.Pollini Conservatory )

The choice to perform G. Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" was difficult, but not too much. Certainly the desire to test oneself with a piece from the great symphonic repertoire that is very well known, musically complex and technically difficult, prevailed. The risk of appearing presumptuous and inadequate was dangerously looming. But that's how it is, temerity prevailed and it was right that it was so also from a purely didactic point of view. Performing the Titan meant raising the bar considerably for the students called upon to compose a symphony orchestra of 100 elements. However, if the performance had been even just sufficient, it would have represented a milestone for the young orchestral musicians, ideally establishing a before and after the "Titan". So, starting from the end, I will never forget the eyes of the students after the concert: 50 very tense minutes, from beginning to end without ever giving up concentration, without indulging even for a second in self-laudatory considerations after having performed a difficult step well. None of this and the boys noticed it because from their expressions you could see that musically, and perhaps also humanly, they had made a leap. It was as if at that point nothing could be impossible for them considering the starting point of the first rehearsals, those for orchestral sections.
I believe that a good part of the orchestra believed that in reality the Titan would not be performed, that after the first rehearsals the Teacher of Orchestral Exercises, Giuliano Medeossi, would have said: "well, guys, let's go back to Viennese classicism, it's better!". And instead, day after day, bar after bar, the point of no return arrived, that is, when it becomes common awareness that "it can be done!". It cannot be said that it was easy, it was very complicated also because since the performers were students (often even from high school or university) it was impossible to expect the simultaneous presence of everyone, on all days of rehearsals. In this, the Teacher was a true magician, or rather, an alchemist: with what he had available, day after day he built a sound cathedral of incredible beauty.
The performance was a source of very strong emotions. From the stalls, at certain moments, you could clearly hear the audience breathing with the orchestra and the level of empathy, thanks also to the splendor of the music, was such that many spectators found themselves in tears at the end of the performance. The CD of the Titan performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory of Padua is not for listeners who demand Euclidean perfection. To those, I recommend purchasing a version recorded in the studio, with hundreds of cuts and inserts. This is a live performance and you can hear it clearly, including the dragging of a chair by a performer that curiously seems like the off-time attack of a horn. However, since the person telling you this story is an old orchestral musician who has fought many battles, I can assure you that the dynamics (piano-forte excursion), the colors, the timbre and the overall energy expressed by the orchestra are absolutely engaging and exciting. The inaccuracies (in truth, few) are contained and absorbed by a general context of very strong involvement and emotion. Moreover, for anyone among you who wants to check, it is possible to listen on YouTube to performances of famous orchestras that are not exactly perfect. Therefore, this album has its reason, it has its purpose. First of all to raise a hundred extraordinary kids, and secondly to let a wider audience experience the unrepeatable emotion of an evening, that of March 25, 2018, which will remain in the hearts and memories of all the spectators of the Auditorium "C. Pollini" in Padua.