Mahler: Symphony No. 5, GMW 44 Grand Teton Festival Orchestra & Sir Donald Runnicles

• Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911): Symphony No. 5, GMW 44:
• 1 Mahler: Symphony No. 5, GMW 44: I. Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt 13:38
• Symphony No. 5:
• 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 5: II Stürmisch bewegt. Mit grösster Vehemenz 15:45
• 3 Mahler: Symphony No. 5: III Scherzo. Kräftig, nicht zu schnell 17:51
• Symphony No. 5:
• 4 Mahler: Symphony No. 5: IV Adagietto. Sehr langsam 10:05
• 5 Mahler: Symphony No. 5: V Rondo-Finale. Allegro 15:35
• Total Runtime 01:12:54

Info zu Mahler: Symphony No. 5, GMW 44

Reference Recordings präsentiert unsere zweite Zusammenarbeit mit dem Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra: eine spektakuläre Live-Aufnahme von Gustav Mahlers 5. Sinfonie. Dieses Werk inspirierte die musikalische Karriere des Produzenten Vic Muenzer. Über das neue Album schreibt Herr Muenzer: „Wir präsentieren Ihnen erneut das Dreamteam: die exzellente Akustik der Walk Festival Hall, die unvergleichlichen Musiker des Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra und den herausragenden Mahler-Dirigenten Sir Donald Runnicles.“

Sir Donald Runnicles, der als einer der bedeutendsten Mahler-Interpreten unserer Zeit gilt, bringt jahrzehntelange Erfahrung, tiefes strukturelles Verständnis und emotionale Klarheit in diese gewaltige Sinfonie ein. Von der eindringlichen Strenge des Trauermarsches zu Beginn bis zur strahlenden Zuversicht des abschließenden Rondo-Finales zeichnet diese Aufführung Mahlers epischen Weg aus der Dunkelheit ins Licht mit unerbittlicher Intensität und leuchtender Orchesterfarbe nach.

Das im Juli 2024 aufgenommene Album fängt das Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra auf dem Höhepunkt seiner Sommerresidenz ein – ein Ensemble aus über 250 Elitemusikern führender Orchester und Institutionen aus Nordamerika und Europa, die sich jährlich unter der künstlerischen Leitung von Runnicles vereinen. Auf dieser Aufnahme sind die gefeierte Hornistin und Blechbläserpädagogin Gail Williams und der herausragende Trompeter Thomas Hooten zu hören, die das Blechbläserensemble des GTMF Festival Orchestra dirigieren.

Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra
Donald Runnicles, Dirigent

Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra
Our vision is to be among the finest music festivals in the world and a vital part of Jackson Hole’s distinctive culture of excellence.

Our mission is to engage, entertain, educate, and inspire our resident and seasonal communities through exhilarating musical experiences. We feature orchestral, chamber, and solo performances of primarily classical music by world-class artists, and we foster a culture that draws outstanding musicians to Jackson Hole in support of this mission.

The Grand Teton Music Festival was founded in 1962 as a part of a movement to actively develop cultural activities in Jackson Hole. The Festival was initially produced by the Jackson Hole Fine Arts Festival, and with the appointment of Ling Tung as music director in 1968, the Festival began growing into the organization we know and cherish today. Ling conducted concerts in a canvas tent at the base of Rendezvous Mountain in Teton Village. Envisioning the Festival as a summer retreat for the country’s top classical musicians, Ling and his spouse, Margot Walk, worked tirelessly with the Jackson community to open Walk Festival Hall in 1974. Through the years, the Grand Teton Music Festival has grown into one of the nation’s finest orchestral organizations, a tradition that continues to this day with our current Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles.

Donald Runnicles
Over a career spanning 45 years, Sir Donald Runnicles has built his reputation on enduring relationships with several of the world’s most significant opera companies and orchestras. He is especially celebrated for his interpretations of the Romantic and post-Romanic repertoire which are core to his musical identity.

The 2025-2026 season is one of transition: it marks both his final season as Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as well as his first season as Chief Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic. He also continues to serve as Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival and as the first-ever Principal Guest Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Sir Donald concludes his tenure with the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer, new productions of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde by Michael Thalheimer and Korngold’s Violanta by David Hermann, all culminating in two cycles of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in a Stefan Herheim production that he premiered with the company. Over the course of his sixteen-year tenure, Sir Donald cemented himself as one of the central figures in the German cultural scene. Significant artistic achievements with the company include the completion of a Strauss cycle including Die Frau ohne Schatten, Arabella, and Intermezzo in collaboration with director Tobias Kratzer; a survey of Janáček’s operas including Jenůfa, Káťa Kabanová, Die Sache Makropulos, and Das schlaue Füchslein; world premieres of Detlev Glanert’s Oceane and Aribert Reimann’s L’Invisible, as well as introducing the music of Benjamin Britten to the company with performances of Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Death in Venice, and The Rape of Lucretia.

In Sir Donald’s inaugural season as Chief Conductor with the Dresden Philharmonic in 25/26, he leads ten weeks of programs including a concertante version of Strauss’ Elektra, highlights his British heritage with performances of William Walton’s Viola Concerto with British violist Timothy Ridout, and Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan’s Symphony No. 4 (which was originally composed to celebrate Sir Donald’s 60th birthday), and concludes the season with a ten-city Asia tour of Japan and Korea.

He returns to conduct four weeks as Principal Guest Conductor of the Sydney Symphony with performances of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Violin Concerto No. 1 with violinist Leonidas Kavakos, as well as Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. Guest engagements for the 25/26 season include performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with the San Francisco Symphony, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” with the BBC Scottish Symphony, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.

Sir Donald spends his summers as Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival. This eight-week festival of symphonic and chamber music, five of which are conducted by Runnicles, takes place amid the breathtaking beauty of Grand Teton National Park.

Past chief artistic leadership roles include the San Francisco Opera (1992-2008), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2009-2016), and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (2001-2007). Sir Donald was also Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for more than two decades (2001-2023).

Sir Donald has toured widely with the DOB to destinations such as the Edinburgh International Festival, London Proms, and Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman. He joined the Philadelphia Orchestra on a tour to China and a summer residency at Bravo! Vail Music Festival. A regular guest conductor with the Chicago Symphony, Runnicles’ performance history with the orchestra dates back to 1997. Over a decade-long relationship with the Vienna State Opera, he led new productions of Parsifal, Britten’s Billy Budd and Peter Grimes, as well as pieces from the core repertoire. He’s conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris, among many of the world’s leading orchestras.

His extensive discography includes recordings of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Britten’s Billy Budd, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Aribert Reimann’s L’invisible. His recording of Wagner arias with Jonas Kaufmann and the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin won the 2013 Gramophone prize for Best Vocal Recording, and his recording of Janáček’s Jenůfa with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin was nominated for a 2016 GRAMMY award for Best Opera Recording.

Donald Runnicles was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was appointed OBE in 2004, and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2020. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Booklet für Mahler: Symphony No. 5, GMW 44