Gustav Mahler

For this weekend’s Utah Symphony performances of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Titan, music director Thierry Fischer has been preparing more intensely than normal, not because he never has done Mahler — he has — but because both the Friday and Saturday night performances will be recorded for release later this year.

“I started studying the score and inundating myself in Mahler’s world before Christmas last year,” the maestro said in an interview with Reichel Recommends. “I wanted to better understand who he was and why he was so demanding as a conductor and why he was so hated.”

A lot is riding on how he and the orchestra perform this weekend, and Fischer has a great deal of confidence in his musicians. “We have set the bar really high and we can do it,” he said, adding that there is a mutual trust between him on the one side and the musicians and the Utah Symphony|Utah Opera organization as a whole on the other.

Fischer knows that the Utah Symphony and the symphonies of Mahler are closely connected, thanks to legendary music director Maurice Abravanel. The complete Mahler symphony recordings that Abravanel made with his orchestra for the Vanguard label have a unique position — they are the first complete cycle recorded by an American orchestra. These recordings are still widely available today on compact disc. “I know what Abravanel did here [with the Utah Symphony],” Fischer said. “Abravanel was a big reason why I came here.”

Abravanel recorded the First in 1974 using the best known version that omits the slow movement, know as Blumine. For these performances Fischer decided to go back to the original score and include Blumine,making it a five-movement work.

Thierry Fischer (Photo Credit: Scott Jarvie)

For the orchestra’s 75th anniversary, it was a given that Fischer would program all nine symphonies. “Abravanel left such a great legacy, it was only natural to go back to that and reference his legacy.” The cycle will be played over the next two seasons — the first four symphonies during this season and the remaining five in 2015-16. It’s a major undertaking, and Fischer is looking forward to it. “I am really excited about this.”

The Swiss conductor said that the tentative release date for the Mahler CD is scheduled for this Christmas. And as of this writing the deal with Soundmirror also calls for Fischer and the Utah Symphony to record their performances of Mahler’s Eighth with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which will take place in February 2016. “That’s the plan, but who knows?” Fischer said, perhaps leaving the possibility open of a deal to record the remaining seven symphonies. “If that happens, it would take about five years to complete.” And that would also fit in with Fischer’s contract which expires in five years, at the end of the 2018-19 season.

As noted both performances this weekend will be recorded, and if needed, Fischer and the orchestra will tweak passages after the Saturday concert. “We have scheduled two 15-minute sessions Saturday. If we need more, we will add more.”

Also on the program are two works: Alexander Mosolov’s Iron Foundry and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Wellington’s Victory. “Iron Foundry is an incredibly loud piece,” Fischer said, adding that it makes a big, bold statement in only 3 1/2 minutes. Wellington’s Victory is a nod to the tradition of opening a Utah Symphony season with a piece by Beethoven. “It’s an easy, festive work that is not pretentious.”

The first half will be short, Fischer said. “It will only be about 20 minutes, because I want to focus on the Mahler.”

Fischer is upbeat and ready to start the Mahler cycle. “I’m happy and I have good vibes about this.”

• CONCERT DETAILS
• What: Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer, conductor
• Venue: Abravanel Hall
• Time and Date: 8 p.m. Sept. 12-13
• Tickets: $18-$69 ($5 higher when purchased on day of performance)
• Phone: 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787
• Web: www.utahsymphony.org