It was thunderstruck in bright daylight
Seeing Furtwängler conduct, who wouldn't want that
The symphony opens with a solo tenor trombone that pulls the lit of the whole symphony. It is a very self-secured, clear announcement of the awakening of the world. It borders on program music. You can see yourself walking in the meadows in the Alps. Heart and mind touched by the view. The extroverted first movement is met with contemplations from a composer who lies his ears to rest in the world of flowers and animals in the second and third movement. What follows is a beautiful Uhrlicht (sung by mezzo soprano Tamara Mumford), a children's choir that sings “Bim-Bam” and a highly romantic finale. Dudamel conducts without a score. I wonder if a conductor memorizes every sixteenth note that's in it or that he, knowing his stuff by highly developed sight-reading skills, has all his gestures and directions kept in body memory.