Existenzielle Träume mit dem Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Köln

By Jens Klier, 30 May 2025

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Reviewed at Kölner Philharmonie, Cologne on 28 May 2025

Schubert, Der Doppelgänger, D.957m (arr. Franz Liszt)

Schubert, Symphony no. 8 in B minor "Unfinished", D.759 (Allegro moderato)

Schubert, Gruppe aus dem Tartarus (Schiller), D.583 (arr. Johannes Brahms)

Schubert, Symphony no. 8 in B minor "Unfinished", D.759 (Andante con moto)

Schubert, Nacht und Träume (M. v. Collin), D.827 (arr. Max Reger)

Wagner, Siegfried Idyll

Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 3 in A minor, "Scottish", Op.56

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Philipp von Steinaecker, Conductor

Michael Nagy, Baritone

Delicacy at the cost of spark: Mitsuko Uchida with the Mahler CO

Mengguang Huang, 26th January

While Uchida’s performances showcase remarkable precision and refinement, they occasionally feel restrained, leaving room to explore the improvisatory charm that make Mozart’s music so compelling.

***11

Magic and solemnity: Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Susan Stempleski, 28th March

Mitsuko Uchida and the MCO continue their exploration of Mozart’s piano concertos and the players deliver a polished New York premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Chorale Quartet.

****1

Lessons in grief: Picture a day like this triumphs in Aix

David Karlin, 5th July

Sir George Benjamin and Martin Crimp’s fourth opera shares the best qualities of their previous work but is an inspiring, breathtaking fable.

*****

At the Concertgebouw, it's all about Lang Lang

Clare Varney, 1st June

No ordinary evening at the Concertgebouw, where Lang Lang’s partnership with Andris Nelsons is the perfect vehicle to examine the complexities and contrasts found in the music of Beethoven.

****1

The First and Second Viennese Schools in one: Uchida and the Mahler CO

Alexander Hall, 1st February

Dame Mitsuko Uchida demonstrates why she is one of today's greatest Mozartians, while her MCO players give a virtuoso account of a work steeped in the Viennese tradition.

****1

Shadows and spectres: Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie

Alexander Hall, 9th November

A cabinet of curiosities: Christoph Koncz has an unconventional take on two Viennese symphonies, yet contributes well to an exemplary performance of Britten's most famous song cycle.

***11

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Jens Klier

Vor seinem Rechtswissenschafts-Studium in Bayreuth und Bonn widmete sich Jens Klier seit frühester Kindheit musikalisch der Violine (Repertoire vom 17. bis 20. Jahrhundert). Während er zudem mit Gesang und dem Leben im Orchesterbetrieb groß wurde, entwickelte sich ein besonderes Interesse an der sogenannten 'Historischen Aufführungspraxis' und authentischen Instrumenten. Diese Leidenschaft hält sich hartnäckig, sodass er sie mit Vorliebe für das Barocke anstatt mit Finger und Bogen nun in Form der Musikkritik zu Gehör bringt. U.a. Telemann-Fan, Liebhaber J. S. Bachs Genies und Entdecker neuerer, seltenerer 'Alter Musik'.