Munich Philharmonic: MahlerThomas Hengelbrock (conductor)
“Those who wrote a ninth were too close to the afterlife,” said Arnold Schönberg in reference to the symphonic oeuvre of Beethoven, Bruckner and Mahler: “Those who want to go beyond this must leave us.” And Mahler’s ninth and final symphony is indeed a work of farewell, permeated by manifold emotions, painful melancholy and profound ruptures, but also ecstatic joy.
“Those who wrote a ninth were too close to the afterlife,” said Arnold Schönberg in reference to the symphonic oeuvre of Beethoven, Bruckner and Mahler: “Those who want to go beyond this must leave us.” And Mahler’s ninth and final symphony is indeed a work of farewell, permeated by manifold emotions, painful melancholy and profound ruptures, but also ecstatic joy.
Thomas Hengelbrock said in an interview that Mahler’s Ninth constantly confronts us with our own transience, but, being real life translated into great art, also fills us with vitality and courage. Far from being a work of resignation or hopelessness, in other words, the Ninth is one of the few great symphonies that do not experience a final apotheosis or end in catastrophe. Unlike his Sixth, Mahler’s Ninth fades out gently, like a cherished visitor leaving the party unnoticed.
Programme
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 9 in G major
