Gustav Mahler’s rarely performed Symphony No 8, a work requiring such a large orchestra and choir it is known as “Symphony of a Thousand”, finally received its Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra premiere on Saturday, heralding an ambitious new chapter as the 26-year-old Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski officially took the podium as music director.
The 5pm performance at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre involved nearly 600 musicians and singers from six choirs: the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus; the Learners Chorus; the London Philharmonic Choir; St Paul’s Co-educational College Senior Mixed-Voice Choir; Ying Wa College Choir; and the Hong Kong Children’s Choir.
The monumental 85-minute piece, with performers pushing the stage to the limit and the choir occupying about a third of the seats on the balcony, formalised the start of the youthful maestro’s four-year contract as the ensemble’s ninth music director.