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Mahler - Symphony no.4 | Alba ABCD454

Mahler - Symphony no.4

£12.69

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Alba

Cat No: ABCD454

Barcode: 6417513104547

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 14th August 2020

Contents

Artists

Essi Luttinen (mezzo-soprano)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor

Leif Segerstam

Works

Mahler, Gustav

Symphony no.4 in G major

Artists

Essi Luttinen (mezzo-soprano)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor

Leif Segerstam

About

The ten symphonies of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) have sometimes been likened to a great autobiographical novel, each symphony constituting a chapter in itself while at the same time being an integral part of an unfolding narrative. Within this narrative flow, the Fourth Symphony (1899-1900) represents a magical pool of tranquility. Mahler drew on various sources in his symphony, one of them being Das himmlische Leben (1892). He originally intended this to be an independent song, but then had ideas of making it the finale of his giant Third Symphony before ultimately transferring it to his Fourth. The song is a naïve vision of the joys of heaven seen through the eyes of a child; the symphony is, as a result, Mahler’s most optimistic and relaxed. True, it does have some more shadowy moments, but they do not make the heart bleed or seriously disturb the overall mood.

Essi Luttinen (b. 1978) is an award-winning, exceptionally diverse and expressive young Finnish mezzo-soprano whose voice is widely celebrated for its beauty and tone. Her extensive repertoire consists of works from early baroque to contemporary music, including a large number of premiere performances. Luttinen is a sought-after performer both as a concert singer and a versatile musical theatre actress. As an artist Essi Luttinen is also ready to break traditional expression and explore the unconventional.

Luttinen has appeared in opera roles in the Finnish National Opera, the Bergen National Opera, and the Finnish operas of Oulu, Turku, Jyväskylä and Tampere among others. Essi’s latest significant artistic project is Opera Skaala, an ensemble whose unique concept – even internationally – combines baroque opera and electronic dance music. As the group’s Artistic Director Luttinen has taken part in the creation and reinterpretation of totally new innovative con- cepts of performing and music.

Leif Segerstam (b. 1944), conductor, composer, violinist and pianist, is one of the most versatile musical talents in the Nordic countries. Segerstam was conductor of the Finnish National Opera from 1965 to 1968 and from 1968 Segerstam was conductor of the Stockholm Royal Opera, after which in the 1970s he conducted, among others, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and the Austrian Radio Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rheinland-Pfalz Orchestra and the Danish Symphony Orchestra. Segerstam was the chief conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra from 2012 to 2019. In addition, he is the chief conductor emeritus of the Helsinki City Orchestra.

Segerstam regularly visits to conduct symphony orchestras around the world, and he has achieved extensive international fame with his numerous recordings with various orchestras. Segerstam's extensive composition includes 337 symphonies, violin concertos, piano concertos, as well as numerous other instrumental concertos and plenty of chamber and vocal music. Segerstam has taught at the Sibelius Academy on several occasions, most recently as a professor of orchestral conducting in 1997-2013.

The roots of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra stretch back to the year 1790 and the founding of The Musical Society in Turku. The oldest orchestra in Finland – and one of the oldest in the world – the Turku Philharmonic was taken over by its host City in 1927. At the time it had 29 players, as against 74 today. The orchestra’s home composer is Mikko Heiniö. The orchestra ́s principal guest conductor from 2017 to 2022 is international star violinist and conductor Julian Rachlin. Nationally and internationally renowned as a top artist, conductor, pianist and composer Olli Mustonen has been named as the new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Mustonen will be taking up his new role in January 2021.

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