Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3

The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer's Third Symphony, in collaboration 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 Zarathustra with folk song inspirations from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, culminating in the concluding Adagio in eternal bliss. For Bychkov, this longest of Mahler's symphonies is his "least hysterical" music, and when he first heard it as a 10-year-old choir boy, it ignited his lifelong fascination and love for this composer. With this recording, the circle is complete. The Czech Philharmonic - recently distinguished by Gramophone as Orchestra of the Year - is one of the world's finest orchestras, renowned for its rich tradition with the Czech masters and the European repertoire. Together with their chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov, they have so far recorded Mahler's First, Second, Fourth and Fifth symphonies (2022-2023) for PENTATONE, which form part of the complete Mahler cycle being released on the label, as well as Smetana's Má vlast and Dvořák's Seventh, Eighth and Ninth symphonies (2024). The orchestra is also heard on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024), recorded by Magdalena Kožená and Sir Simon Rattle, and on Dvořák Legends & Rhapsodies with Tomáš Netopil.