Quartet of Critics

Manuel Brug, Eleonore Büning, Joachim Mischke and Markus Thiel are among the most renowned music journalists in the German-speaking world. As the »Quartet of Critics«, they will discuss Gustav Mahler’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 1 and its various recordings before the concert at the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall. Drawing on numerous record and CD recordings from almost a hundred years, they paint a vivid and entertaining picture of one of the most important works in classical music.


Mahler’s First is full of contrasts that left audiences perplexed in its day: it sounds sensual at times, coarse at others, first desperate, then exuberant again. But how did the great conductors and orchestras interpret this work, which is full of challenges for every musician? With numerous audio samples and pointed opinions, the Quartet of Critics discusses groundbreaking (and also obscure) recordings of the popular symphony.

Music critics and journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have joined forces in the »Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik« (German Record Critics’ Award) association to regularly honour outstanding music and spoken word productions. This panel of up to 160 jurors attaches great importance to reaching independent judgements, uninfluenced by the interests of record and/or audiobook producers. A »Quartet of Critics« meets regularly to discuss a specific work in public and compare recordings.

PERFORMERS

Manuel Brug talk

Eleonore Büning talk

Joachim Mischke talk

Markus Thiel talk