By Louis Harris | July 20, 2025 | Photo Kyle Dunleavy
With Marin Alsop at the helm, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus gave a huge performance of a gargantuan symphony in the Pavilion at Ravinia on Friday night. The chorus was joined by two soloists, soprano Janai Brugger and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. This concert was part of the CSO’s annual residency at Ravinia.
The only work on the program was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in c-minor, Resurrection. Even by Mahler’s standards, this 90-minute symphony is way over the top. It requires just about every resource the CSO can bring onstage—and offstage, from where several horns, trumpets, and percussion instruments were played. While long, an excellent performance can be exhilarating, and that’s what Alsop presented on Friday night.