Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 Detroit Symphony Orchestra March 19, 2011

UMS Choral Union
U-M Chamber Choir
U-M University Choir
U-M Orpheus Singers
MSU Children’s Choir
Leonard Slatkin, conductor

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Gustav Mahler’s birth and the 100th anniversary of his death, UMS is collaborating with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the MSU Children’s Choir, and Michigan Opera Theatre to present a spectacular, not-to-be-missed performance of Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 8. The first performance of this “choral symphony” featured a chorus of about 850, with an orchestra of 171, leading Mahler’s agent to dub the work “Symphony of a Thousand.” While Mahler himself did not approve of the title, it nevertheless remains associated with this work, which is rarely performed due to the massive forces required to do it justice.

Program
· Mahler : Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”) (1907)

Official Website: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=622