Mahler’s Vienna

“In our second Classics of the season, we are once again going to delve into Gustav Mahler. This time: his Symphony No. 5. In last season’s performance of his Symphony no. 1 the music started with the cosmos, zeroing in to the hero, going through pain and death until he broke through to the other side. His symphony no. 5 on the other hand is starting with a funeral march. The third movement is simply the expression of incredible energy. The Adagietto is a love letter to Alma. He finishes with utter joy. To put the composition in context, we are going to resurrect some sounds of the Vienna of the late 19th century, a time where everything, the entire life of every part of society was focused around the emperor and around a deep-rooted system of nobility, bourgeoisie, workers and farmers without any options of vertical development. Yet, music connecting everybody, being the life blood of society.”