Stella Grigorian

Discography
It is the greatest I have ever composed, wrote Gustav Mahler after completing his Eighth Symphony. This remark did not only refer to the gigantic forces of singers and instrumentalists required by the score, but also to the idea that is conveyed in sound. By contrasting the Whitsuntide hymn “Veni creator spiritus” with the closing scene from Goethe’s “Faust II”, Mahler expresses the close spiritual relationship between art and religion: the reconciliation with the idea of spiritual love.

This CD is a live recording of a concert on March 27, 2010 that was performed in the Vienna Konzerthaus. It is particularly attractive due to the outstanding group of soloists, which includes Johan Botha, Jane Henschel and Kwangchoul Youn. Bertrand de Billy also proves his ability here to bring out the finest, subtlest music-making from even the largest orchestral and choral bodies.