Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection Symphony”, is one in all his most beloved works, whose themes of life, loss of life, and redemption are impressed by the composer’s personal life experiences. Just lately, it was made well-known by Maestro, the Hollywood blockbuster which noticed Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein conducting this monumental work.
Will probably be again on the Toronto stage this June with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra after a seven yr absence, however by an uncommon association. The live performance will not be a part of the TSO’s common season, neither is it helmed by a visitor conductor. TSO is the visitor orchestra on this case, and will likely be performed by a person whose robust imaginative and prescient of innovation and unparalleled musical ardour greater than make up for his lack of formal music coaching.
Mandle Cheung is a profitable tech entrepreneur and self-taught conductor who based the Mandle Philharmonic when he was in his 70s. Since its inception in 2018, the orchestra has carried out 18 concert events of assorted classical masterworks.
However Mandle units his sights on one thing greater — a lifelong dream to conduct Toronto’s largest orchestra. This self-funded enterprise is especially bold, being offered at Roy Thomson Corridor, with 2,500 seats to fill.
The efficiency additionally options the Amadeus Choir, one in all Toronto’s best, and two famend Canadian soloists: Soprano Kirsten LeBlanc (who just lately sang the title function of the Canadian Opera Firm’s La Reine-garçon), and Mezzo Krisztina Szabo, who’s well-known to Canadian audiences in her many COC appearances.
Mandle Cheung: The Interview
Mandle says that music is in his genes, and he feels it’s his future to conduct. “Each time I step on a podium, the sensation is profound.” He loves all classical music, however has a particular ardour for Mahler’s works, which he calls “the penultimate of classical music.”
Mandle Philharmonic’s inaugural live performance featured Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, and the orchestra additionally carried out Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 simply earlier than the pandemic. Mandle concedes that each one classical items are troublesome and takes him years to be taught, however he describes Mahler as probably the most difficult, his Mount Everest. He began studying this piece about two years in the past, and with solely three weeks to go till the live performance, he says “I’m nonetheless finding out it.”
Future At Work
After deciding to work with the TSO, Mandle coincidentally got here throughout the story of Gilbert E. Kaplan. Kaplan was a multi-millionaire Wall Road writer who grew to become an beginner conductor in his 40s, and was solely devoted to performing Mahler’s Second Symphony. In his lifetime, he performed over 60 prime orchestras, together with the London Symphony and the Philharmonics of New York, Vienna and Los Angeles.
Although it’s purely coincidental that Mandle’s journey bears placing parallels to Kaplan’s story, Mandle can’t assist however really feel that future is at work once more.
“What do you reside for? What do you endure for? Is all of it simply an enormous, horrible joke? We should reply this query if we’re to reside on.” Mahler requested these questions in his Resurrection Symphony in the hunt for life’s which means. Maybe, it’s via this symphony that Mandle finds his personal life’s objective, and which fuels him to comply with his dream by intense laborious work and studying, even at age 78.
For this upcoming live performance, Mandle desires audiences to really feel wowed and gratified. “You’ll really feel all of the struggling and glory within the music. It’s transcendent. With nearly 200 musicians on stage, it’s not one thing that’s placed on too usually.”
“This isn’t only a live performance. It’s the fruits of a lifetime of listening, studying, and believing that it’s by no means too late to comply with your ardour.”
- Discover efficiency particulars and tickets for Mandle Philharmonics Presents Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on June 25 at Roy Thomson Corridor [HERE] or [HERE].
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Denise Lai is a Physiotherapist and Faculty Professor. She is an alumnus of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and a rusty piano participant.
