Mahler Symphony No 8 konsert London

Even by Mahler standards, his Symphony No.8, nicknamed Symphony of a Thousand, is a work of immense proportions.

Vasily Petrenko, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music Director Designate, is joined onstage at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall by a stellar line-up of soloists, massed choirs and an organ for what promises to be a titanic performance of this rarely heard masterpiece.

Written in two halves, Part I employs the text of a 9th century hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Creator Spirit), and Part II – inspired by the final scene of Goethe’s Faust – sees Faust’s soul rescued from the clutches of the Devil, then ascend to Heaven in a blaze of glory.