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13 LUCKY REASONS TO HEAR TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S MAHLER 2ND SYMPHONY



13) YOU LOVE LIFE and intend to keep living it to its (over)fullest!
12) This orchestra will be CRAZY BIG: 10 trumpets, 10 French horns, two bass drums, two harps, a double sized woodwind section, a giant chorus, and vocal soloists. WHERE WILL THEY FIND ALL OF THESE NEEDED EXTRA VIRTUOSI?
11) Where have I heard THAT before?! Mahler’s Second symphony contains and integrates--by far!--more hints, allusions, and wild transformations--this is NOT plagiarism!--of previously composed music, including his own, than any music previously composed (that is, of course, until completing his Third symphony...).

10) TSO Maestro José Luis Gomez ("The real deal!", spake Lenny's daughter, Jaime Bernstein) TRANSFORMS into a highly driven, yet relaxed, grunting and groaning MASTER DIRECTOR of gigantic musical forces. This may be his most daunting challenge yet! WILL HE RISE (Yes, rise again!) TO THE OCCASION?

9) Mahler’s COMPLETELY NOVEL, NON-METRIC VOCAL SETTINGS mirror word and sentence structure, rather than forcing the words and statements to match the structure of the music. WHY DID HE INVENT SUCH A THING?
8) The TUCSON SYMPHONY CHORUS, under TSO Chorus Director designee, Dr. Macella Molina--buttressed for this epic effort by the esteemed Helios Ensemble and the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir--is a top level performance chorus. Either step up your game and sing in it, or LISTEN INTENTLY TO ITS GLORY!
7) Wagner revolutionized Western art music with Tristan und Isolde. Hans von Bülow conducted 'Tristan’s' premier performance, and was absolutely IN LOVE with Mahler’s conducting. Yet upon hearing this symphony’s first movement (he died before the work was completed), lifting head from hands, von Bülow exclaimed, “IF WHAT I AM HEARING IS MUSIC, THEN I UNDERSTAND NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC. This makes 'Tristan' sound like a Haydn symphony!"
6) The Tucson Symphony Orchestra is AN ENSEMBLE OF HIGHLY SKILLED MUSICIANS who LOVE playing under the baton of Maestro José. Why? Because he is an ultimate player’s conductor, having been one himself from age 7 through age 30. He is ultra communicative, often quite hilarious (at least to himself!), and lets the instrumentalists do their thing--he does not micro-manage his orchestra players. PLUS, he has that electric Latin verve!
Gustav Mahler
5) This is THE SYMPHONY TO END ALL SYMPHONIES! Mahler takes every conventional structure of a Classical / Romantic symphonic movement and expands or explodes it to gigantic cathedral-like proportions, additionally forging completely novel formal structures, all to deliver staggering sonic vistas and layers of thematic and emotional content. Astounding to behold!
4) After sharing with us their immense talents, VOCAL SOLOISTS KELLY NASSIEF and EMILY MARVOSH will spice up the exclusive after-party (to which you are not invited)!
3) “With wings I have won for myself, in love’s fierce striving, I shall soar upwards, to the light no eye has penetrated!” (Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen, in heißem Liebesstreben, werd' ich entschweben zum Licht, zu dem kein Aug' gedrungen!). THE FINAL CULMINATION OF FORCES IS A HEAVENLY APOTHEOSIS OF AGONY AND ECSTACY like no other!

2) Mahler once said, "I AM HITTING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALLS, BUT THE WALLS ARE GIVING WAY.", of which I am sure I have no idea what he is talkin' 'bout there. And yet, if you start to feel a cataclysmic temblor rumbling through the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall at the Tucson Convention Center, DO NOT PANIC! Please, as respectfully, quietly, and in as orderly a manner as possible, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! Minor contusions, lacerations, and psychological trauma would be considered acceptable collateral damage. HELP IS ON THE WAY! (Kommen Sie her, Herr Mozart!)

1) ONLY FOOLS WILL MISS THIS CONCERT!
BE NOT ONE!!



~ Steven Gendel

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