That's the word coming from Prague. Now that Eliahu Inbal will be chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, their first major project is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a season-long Mahler cycle which will be recorded. Let's hope this is as good in practice as it sounds like it might be on paper.
From an interview:
What plans do you have for the Czech Philharmonic, and is there any one thing you are particularly excited about?
“As I said, I will place some stress on Czech music, because people expect us when we go abroad to play Dvorak, Smetana, Suk, Martinů, Janáček, and we will do that, without any doubt. But we will absolutely present what I call the ‘great repertory’ – from Mozart, Beethoven to Mahler and Brückner and Strauss and so on. We will do that, and I’m very excited about the project of conducting and recording all of Mahler’s symphonies in 2010-2011. Because for me this is always a big occasion. Mahler is the greatest symphonist of all time. What Beethoven was for the 18th-19th century, Mahler was for the 19th-20th century.”
This is one of the Czech philharmonic’s previous recordings of Mahler – his eighth symphony in E flat major being performed in 1982. Prague awaits Mr Inbal’s arrival, and the realization of his plans.
RTWT here:
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/101182