Mahler Symphony No. 3

Mahler Symphony No. 3. Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the female voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir Vienna, and the Tölzer Knabenchor in 2007. Mezzo-soprano Anna Larson is the soloist contralto. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Released in 2009, this disc has 5.1 PCM sound. Grade: 

 The Lucerne Festival Orchestra is Abbado's chief pet project. The core of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is another group cofounded by Abbado, the 42-player-strong Mahler Chamber Orchestra. In addition, Abbado attracts other top players from around the world to Lucerne. Some of them I recognize from other HDVDs on my shelf. For example, Abbado leads the Orchestra Mozart in the HDVD of the Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-6. Players from that fabulous show who also joined Abaddo at Lucerne in 2007 include Jacques Zoon (flute), Reinhold Friedrich (trumpet), Raphael Christ (violin), Guilhaume Santana (bassoon), Alessio Allegrini (french horn), Benoît Grenet (cello), and (I think), Johanee Gonzales (bass violin). I also recognize at Lucerne the harpist Naoko Yoshino, who plays with the Saito Kinen Orchestra featured in the NHK HDVD of the Mahler Symphony No. 1. Symphony No. 3 has three important trombone solos, a great prize for trombone players. For this recording, Abbado recruited Jörgen van Rijen, the principal trombone player with the Royal Concertgebauw Orchestra, which is, according to Gramophone magazine, the best symphony orchestra in the world.

Because this is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, you seldom get to hear it live. It has been recorded many times on CD. ArchiveMusic lists only 5 DVD recordings, including the DVD version of subject recording. Of the 5 DVDs, ArchiveMusic gives its DVD recommendation to subject recording. It would appear then that subject title is quite likely the best video on the planet of Mahler Symphony No. 3.