Conductors in Rehearsal – Mariss Jansons, vol. 2

“Conductors in Rehearsal” is a BR-KLASSIK series that takes a closer look at the “orchestral workshop”. One can experience first-hand how the conductor’s wishes and instructions are implemented, how his explanations and his temperament change the resulting sound, and what concepts lie behind the interpretation of the work. Thanks to this series – which also now being released on CD – the special collaboration between Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra can be documented. The first box set presented by BR-KLASSIK documents four rehearsals for concerts in the Munich Philharmonie im Gasteig, taken from different phases of the collaboration between Mariss Jansons’ work with the BRSO.

CD 1 – Richard Strauss: “Ein Heldenleben”, op. 40
In Strauss’s “Ein Heldenleben”, the main character leaps onto the stage, as it were, from the very first bar onwards. In his rehearsals, Mariss Jansons pays great attention to vivid, three-dimensional characters. The maestro also makes use of images and comparisons to inspire the orchestra.
Rehearsal for the concerts on March 17 & 18, 2011 at the Philharmonie im Gasteig, Munich. 

CD 2 – Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 C minor, op. 67
Making the music speak – that is the goal of Mariss Jansons’ rehearsal work with the BRSO. In May 2012 he rehearsed Beethoven’s Fifth; in the autumn of that year, a performance of it in Tokyo earned standing ovations from the Japanese audience.
Rehearsal for the concerts on May 17 & 18, 2012 at the Herkulessaal der Residenz, Munich. 

CD 3 – Richard Strauss: “Don Juan”, op. 20
Mariss Jansons elicits the typical élan of the young Richard Strauss from the BRSO here, pointing to his roots in musical romanticism. Withhis “Don Juan”, Strauss established himself early on as an important representative of the progressive “New German School”. His tone poems were very wide-ranging and earned him much admiration, but also a reputation as an “enfant terrible”.
Rehearsal for the concerts on February 27 & 28, 2014 at the Herkulessaal der Residenz, Munich.

CD 4 – Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 D major, op. 43
Mariss Jansons is intensely interested in the images of nature evoked by the music of Jean Sibelius’ Second Symphony. He is also meticulous about sound and expression: the music should sound warm and soulful,
but also rich in colour and with extreme differences in volume. Working on the sound is the key to expression here.
Rehearsal for the concerts on November 12 & 13, 2015 at the Herkulessaal der Residenz, Munich.

Speaker: Friedrich Schloffer
Editorial and manuscript: Bernhard Neuhoff
Implementation: Karlheinz Steinkeller (CD 1 – 3); Elisabeth Panzer (CD 4)

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Mariss Jansons, conductor

BR-KLASSIK 4 CD-Box
Product Number 900934

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• Fascinating insights into Mariss Jansons’ rehearsals, allowing us to follow his attitude to the works and his interpretations – recorded between 2011 and 2015
• Four masterpieces of Jansons’ great symphonic repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 and Strauss’ tone poems “Ein Heldenleben” and “Don Juan”
• Performed by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
• Each of the four CDs begins with a concise introduction to the respective work by Friedrich Schloffer