Who has the biggest orchestra? In the closing years of the 19th century, a kind of instrumental arms race began, ascending to ever greater heights. Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand" in 1907; Holst's "Planets" in 1918; Charles Ives' unfinished "Universe Symphony"; the excesses of the golden twenties; and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's all-but unstageable opera "The Soldiers". Large scale orchestras have their own special magic, offering an inexhaustible spectrum of tonal colors and textures – from silky luster to the teeming energy of black holes. With our latest takt1 theme, we look forward to a time when live concerts with large-scale lineups are possible again!