Every year in August, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra returns to its annual summer residency at the Lucerne Festival. This year, the MCO—in addition to performing as the core of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra—appeared in a much-lauded programme featuring Barbara Hannigan as both soprano and conductor. The orchestra, in a very special appearance, even performed briefly as the chorus in Bill Elliot’s arrangement of Girl Crazy. Here is a selection of glowing reviews for this MCO concert.
[...] the orchestra seemed an extension of Hannigan’s vocal interpretation [...] In the song “Embraceable You”, the players doubled as a chorus, harmonising effortlessly before following Hannigan with an uncannily smooth instrumental line into the final verse.
Financial Times
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[...] the communication with the musicians worked well: be it due to Barbara Hannigan’s ability to precisely convey her vision during rehearsals, or the way in which the Mahler Chamber Orchestra—innovative and incredibly flexible in its thinking—was able to, quite literally, realise her every wish.
Der Tagesspiegel
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[...] the shouts of “no!”, directed at the orchestra, received powerful answers from the instruments, almost resembling a chorus of human voices.
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
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With its captivating music making, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra breathed—and “sang”—with the conductor [...] how wonderful is music making without any reservations.
Badische Zeitung
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This concert was recorded for a radio broadcast by SRF 2 Kultur and can be streamed online until the 5th of September 2016.
Photos: © Peter Fischli/LUCERNE FESTIVAL
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