Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Catriona Morison, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Pueri gaudentes & Semyon Bychkov

• Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911): Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part One:
• 1 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part One: I. Kräftig. Entschieden 35:22
• Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two:
• 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two: II. Tempo di minuetto. Sehr mässig 10:02
• 3 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two: III. Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast 17:03
• 4 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two: IV. Sehr langsam. Misterioso. Durchaus leise 09:45
• 5 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two: V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck 04:29
• 6 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Part Two: VI. Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden 25:20
• Total Runtime 01:42:01

Info for Mahler: Symphony No. 3

The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer’s Third Symphony, working together with mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and Pueri Gaudentes. In this monumental work, Mahler combines a text from Nietzsche’s Also sprach Zarat hust ra with the folk song inspirations of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, culminating in eternal bliss in the closing Adagio. To Bychkov, this longest Mahler symphony offers his “ least hysterical” music, and hearing it for the first time as a 10-year-old choirboy kindled his life-long fascination and love for this composer. With this recording, it comes full circle. The Czech Philharmonic – recently awarded Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year Award – is one of the world’s orchestral gems, recognised for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Together with their Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov, they have so far recorded for PENTATONE Mahler’s First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (2022-2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by the label, as well as Smetana’s Má vlast and Dvořák’s Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies (2024). The Orchestra is also featured on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024) recorded by Magdalena Kožená and Sir Simon Rattle, as well as Dvořák Legends & Rhapsodies with Tomáš Netopil.

Catriona Morison, mezzo-soprano
Pueri Gaudentes
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov, conductor

Catriona Morison
Scottish mezzo-soprano based in Berlin, gained wide recognition in 2017 when she won the Main Prize and the shared Song Prize at the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. At that time she was a member of the ensemble at Oper Wuppertal (2016-2018), where she shone in a variety of roles such as Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Charlotte (Werther), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Princess Clarice (The Love for Three Oranges), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), as well as more recently, The Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea).

She made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2015 under Franz Welser-Möst as a member of the Young Singers Project and also performed at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival that same year. Further engagements have taken her to opera houses and festivals such as the Edinburgh International Festival, the Cologne Opera, the Bergen National Opera, the Hamburg State Opera, and the National Theatre Weimar. Her repertoire now includes Fricka in Wagner's Rheingold, and she performed in Wagner's Die Walküre on tour in Europe with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In the 2024/25 season, she will sing Mary in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg under Tarmo Peltokoski, and Octavian in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier in concert with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Jonathan Nott.

Concert work holds a special place for Catriona Morison, ever since her debut at the BBC Proms in the summer of 2019 with Elgar's Sea Pictures, accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Elim Chan. Additionally, with whom she also premiered Errollyn Wallen's This Frame is Part of the Painting. Significant engagements from the past season include performances of Detlev Glanert's Prague Symphony with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Semyon Bychkov, Chausson's Poème de l’amour et de la mer with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Thomas Søndergård, and Mahler's 2nd Symphony under Jaap van Zweden at the Gstaad Festival, Alma Mahler's songs with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, Mahler's 8th Symphony with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Manfred Honeck and the Orchestre de Paris under Klaus Mäkelä, as well as Bach's St. Matthew Passion in Rotterdam under John Butt. Most recently performed Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in Bamberg under the direction of Jakub Hrůša and made her debut with Beethoven's Missa solemnis with the Vienna Philharmonic, under Adam Fischer.

Concert highlights in the 2024/25 season showcase the breadth of her repertoire: Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra under Sylvain Cambreling, Bach's Mass in B minor with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Czech Philharmonic in Prague, both under Semyon Bychkov; Handel’s Messiah with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Ralf Otto, and Mahler's 2nd Symphony in Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Jaime Martin, in Sapporo with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra under Elias Grandy, and in Dallas with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi.

Song is of particular importance to Catriona Morison. She remains dedicated to this genre and has given recitals in renowned concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie, the Cologne Philharmonie, and the Concertgebouw. In recital, she regularly performs at festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Leeds Lieder Festival, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Schubertíada Vilabertran, and the Heidelberger Frühling.

Her duet programme ECHOES with soprano Katharina Konradi and pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz was recently released on CD by the CAvi label.

Booklet for Mahler: Symphony No. 3