„A Revelation“ – this is the headline of the review from 4 April 2017 in the Frankfurter Rundschau on the final concert of the Easter Tour 2017 of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER in the Alte Oper Frankfurt. DANIEL HARDING and CHRISTIAN GERHAHER were the acclaimed protagonists of the 30th anniversary tour of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER.



Two extraordinarily ambitious concert programmes with works by Schubert, Berg and Bruckner and Schoenberg, Berlioz and Schumann respectively – amongst others, CHRISTIAN GERHAHER sang  Alban Berg's Altenberg-Lieder and Berlioz' Les Nuits d'été - , and also the combination of two arias by Franz Schubert from his opera Alfonso und Estrella with Anton Bruckner's Symphony no. 5 in one and Arnold Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces op. 16 (in the version from 1909) with Robert Schumann's Symphony no. 2 in the other programme underlined the strong dramaturgical concept, as it is always the case with tour projects of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER. This was expressly praised by the press: „[…] programas enormemente variados y exigentes.“ (Rafael Banús Irusta, Scherzo 27.3.2017).



The GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER successfully performed 11 concerts in 7 European countries, guest-appearing at some of the most prestigious European presenters and concert halls. The two initial concerts in Lisbon at the end of the more than two weeks long residency at the Gulbenkian Foundation (which was realised for the fourth time already) were reviewed as „Concertos do Século“ (Jorge Calado, Expresso 25.3.2017). The Spanish press, covering intensely this anniversary tour – also focusing on the many Spanish orchestra members – praised the four concerts in Madrid (as every year, in the prestigious Ibermúsica cycle „Gran orquestas del mundo“), in Barcelona and, for the first time, in Zaragoza: „Estupenda la Joven Orquesta Gustav Mahler que fundara el gran Claudio Abbado.“ (Javier del Olivo, Platea Magazine 28.3.2017). „Segurament és la millor orquestra juvenil del món.“ (Elsa Álvarez Forges, Núvol 3.4.2017). 

The long-awaited return of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER to the Philharmonie in Luxemburg was reviewed enthusiastically: „Avec un jeune orchestre d’élite, Daniel Harding fait des merveilles, avec l’aide de Christian Gerhaher.“ (Dominique Adrian, ResMusica 26.3.2017), and also the concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris received highest acclaim: „Symbole d´intélligence, de vérité et d´espoir […], l´Orchestre Gustav Mahler nous a fait voyager loin.“ (Dionysios Dervis-Bournias, Huffington Post 27.3.2017). And the Vienna-based Kronen Zeitung used this headline for its review on the concert at the Vienna Musikverein, where the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER appears every year: „Triumphale Tournee“ (Florian Krenstetter, Kronen Zeitung 2.4.2017). 



Recently appointed Assistant Conductor of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER (from 2016/17), LORENZO VIOTTI - winner of the International Conducting Competition in Cadaqués and the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award 2015 - conducted the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, joined by the Gulbenkian Choir, in Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, together with Arthur Honegger's Symphony Nr. 3 ("Liturgique") and Olivier Messiaen's Les Offrandes Oubliées. The other concert programme, marking Viotti´s debut with the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, combined works by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov with Maurice Ravel's Bolero, which he conducted for a sold-out audience.



Photo credits:
(1), (2), (3), (6) © Márcia Lessa
(4) © Marco Caselli Nirmal
(5) © Auditorio de Zaragoza

British conductor Daniel Harding leads the Easter Tour 2017 of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation.

The Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris and the Swedish Radio Symphony is also Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. As one of the most sought-after conductors of our time, he conducts regularly many leading orchestras, such as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Teatro alla Scala, at the Salzburg Festival, the Festival Aix-en-Provence, and many others.

A former assistant to Sir Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding worked since its foundation very closely with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra - founded out of former members of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER -  where he was Music Director between 2003 - 2011.




A long-time artistic collaboration unites Daniel Harding with world-renowned German baritone Christian Gerhaher. He returns to the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER for the third time after 2010 (with Herbert Blomstedt) and 2016 (with Philippe Jordan).

As regular guest at all major opera houses and concert halls, Christian Gerhaher is widely regarded as one of the most eminent Lied and concert singers of our time, and many leading orchestras, concert halls and festivals have invited him as artist in residence.

For their first joint project with the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, both artists have elaborated two extraordinary concert programmes with works by Schubert, Berg and Bruckner and Schoenberg, Berlioz and Schumann respectively. Christian Gerhaher guest appears with fairly unusual repertoire such as Alban Berg's Altenberg-Lieder and Berlioz' Les nuits d'été, and also the combination of two arias by Franz Schubert with Anton Bruckner's monumental Symphony no. 5 in one and Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces op. 16 (in the version from 1909) with Schumann's Symphony no. 2 in the other programme underline a strong dramaturgical concept, as it is always the case with tour projects of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER.

For the fourth time since 2010, the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER is in residency at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon where it rehearses and performs four concert programmes - the two programmes with Daniel Harding and Christian Gerhaher as above, as well as two further concert programmes under Lorenzo Viotti.

Recently appointed Assistant Conductor of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER from 2016/17, Lorenzo Viotti - winner of the International Conducting Competition in Cadaqués and the Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award 2015 - is one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. He has already conducted many leading orchestras, such as the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Vienna Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Lorenzo Viotti leads the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, joined by the Gulbenkian choir, in Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, together with Arthur Honegger's Symphony Nr. 3 ("Liturgique") and Olivier Messiaen's Les Offrandes Oubliées. The other concert programme, Viotti´s debut with the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER, combines works by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov with Maurice Ravel's Bolero.


The 30th anniversary Easter Tour 2017 with Daniel Harding and Christian Gerhaher leads the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER – and this distinguishes it from other youth orchestras –only to the most important concert halls and presenters in Europe, many of them being its long-term partners: Madrid – Auditorio Nacional de Música, Paris - Théâtre de Champs-Élysées, Luxemburg - Philharmonie, Barcelona – Palau de la Música Catalana, Zaragoza, Ferrara - Teatro Comunale Claudio Abbado, Wien - Musikverein, and Frankfurt - Alte Oper

Photo credits:
(1) Daniel Harding © Julian Hargreaves
(2) Christian Gerhaher © Jim Rakete, Sony Classical
(3) Lorenzo Viotti © Ugo Ponte

 
The GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER receives support from the Bundeskanzleramt – Kunstsektion of the Republic of Austria, from the Magistrat der Stadt Wien – MA 7 / Kultur, and from the Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres of the Republic of Austria.

                               


Erste Bank and Vienna Insurance Group are Main Sponsors of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER.

     

Further support is granted from Julius Bär and the Förderstiftung of the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER.

 

 

Since 2012, the GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER is Ambassador UNICEF Austria.