It was a grand if not grandiose notion of TCD to put on a performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony, the so-called Symphony of a Thousand, as part of its quarter centenary celebrations in 1992. However, the idea of roping in so many choirs was a bad one (surely the aim should have been quality, not quantity) and the venue (The Point, with amplification) was, musically, a disaster.
So, for anyone with a modicum of musical sensitivity, the Ulster Orchestra's performance of Mahler's Eighth at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast next Friday could well be felt to be the work's real Irish premiere. The Waterfront Hall, for all the vagaries of its acoustic, is bound to be more accommodating than The Point. The long-established but not always reliable large local chorus, the Belfast Philharmonic Society, is being reinforced by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus. And the conductor, Kazushi Ono (right), hails from the other side of the world, although he has a well-established career in Europe as well as his native Japan. The team of soloists is Elizabeth Connell, Lada Biriusov, Sibylle Ehlert, Ruby Philogene, Sarah Walker, David Rendall, Jeffrey Black, and Eric Halfvarson. The performance will be repeated this day week.
