Gustav Mahler
Symphony #9, DVD of the Month for November, 2015
Austrian composer Alban Berg probably attended Gustav Mahler’s funeral in 1911. He saw in the symphony #9 by Mahler “the expression of a tremendous love for this world, a longing to live in peace and to savor Nature to its depths – before the arrival of Death. For it will inevitably come.”
This live recording of the composer’s last completed symphony is part of an ongoing Leipzig cycle of Mahler’s symphonies. It confirms once more the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s reputation as an outstanding ensemble for the performance of Mahler’s music.
This is an example of the highest level of performance culture combined with a polished and detailed manner of playing.
Since the time of conductor Bruno Walter, the orchestra has developed over the years a deep understanding of the works of Gustav Mahler, which in their collaboration with Riccardo Chailly has been continued.
A bonus on this recording: Riccardo Chailly talks with us about Mahler’s 9th in conversation with the well-known Mahler biographer, Henry‐Louis de La Grange.
Here is Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig in the Symphony #9 by Gustav Mahler:
