Photo of Gustav Mahler rehearsing his Symphony Number Eight – ahead of its premiere on September 12, 1910 in Munich – with the second performance given the following day
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Berliner Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße, Berlin
With choirs in front of him of front-to-back depth, Kirill Petrenko led Mahler’s so-called “Symphony of a Thousand”, pre-premiere publicity, representing performer numeracy, that the composer didn’t care for. How many in Berlin I know not, but there was also little room for more orchestra. The opening uplift from the organ was less than auspicious, if perhaps somewhat indicative of the performance to come, not forced or exaggerated, the Latin first movement moving apace, texturally clean, forward-moving without being reckless, balances exact, soloists (at the front of the platform) and choral forces singing from the same hymn-sheet (as it were); yet, for all the fervour, there was something less than galvanising about the way the glorious, ecstatic coda was approached, its emotional outpouring then pushed through.
Part Two is the Faust setting, in German of course, here flexible (volatile at times) and conversational, details and dynamics scrupulous whether vocally or instrumentally, yet one’s admiration for the performance, and therefore the music, although of beauty and, at times, profound expression, subtlety and clarity, didn’t quite come across as transcendental for all the lavish preparation and Petrenko’s pertinent observations; maybe they were still being absorbed into a whole. The appearance of Mater gloriosa (Jasmin Delfs), from afar and on-high, was a moment to treasure, as was a feeling of unification, introduced chorally as spaciously and as quietly as possible, growing organically to a resplendent finish, if at the same time putting into perspective what had gone before, a containment of music that, at all times, should be free of restrictions.
Jacquelyn Wagner soprano (Magna peccatrix)
Golda Schultz soprano (Una poenitentium)
Jasmin Delfs soprano (Mater gloriosa)
Beth Taylor contralto (Mulier Samaritana)
Fleur Barron mezzo-soprano (Maria Aegyptiaca)
Benjamin Bruns tenor (Doctor Marianus)
Gihoon Kim baritone (Pater ecstaticus)
Le Bu bass (Pater profundus)
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Gijs Leenaars chorus master
Bachchor Salzburg
Michael Schneider chorus master
Boys of the Berlin State and Cathedral Choir
Kai-Uwe Jirka chorus master
Kelley Sundin-Donig chorus master
“Symphony means constructing a world with all the technical means at one’s disposal.” Nowhere did Gustav Mahler realise this credo more impressively than in his Eighth Symphony. With eight soloists, three choirs and a gigantic orchestra, it goes beyond anything that came before. At the same time, Mahler brings together fundamental ideas of intellectual history in this profusion of sound – from medieval hymns to the conclusion of Goethe’s Faust. After 15 years, the Berliner Philharmoniker are bringing the work back to the concert stage under the baton of Kirill Petrenko. [BP]
Exclusive insights: “Upbeat” – Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8
Principal oboe Albrecht Mayer presents his personal view of Mahler’s Eighth, and we also gain an insight into the rehearsal work of chief conductor Kirill Petrenko.