Repertoire

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9

Artists

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor

Programme

Mahler claimed to have overcome the “curse of the ninth symphonies” and considered Das Lied von der Erde to be just another symphony. And yet this Symphony No. 9, composed between 1908 and 1909, was the last one he was able to complete. First performed posthumously in 1912 in Vienna under the baton of Bruno Walter, it is often performed as a true musical will and testament. The work maintains the four-movement structure, but is unusual within the classical tradition in that the first and last movements are slow, thus reinforcing the symphony’s reflective nature.

The initial andante comodo alternates between lyricism and restlessness, while the second and third movements adopt distorted dance forms (Ländler and Rondo-Burleske) with an ironic, often biting tone. The adagio concludes the symphony in an extremely delicate atmosphere in which the music draws closer to the mystery of silence. The advanced harmony, thematic fragmentation and expressiveness of this “final” symphony hint at the more gradual approaches of the 20th century. This unapologetic celebration of sound will be led by internationally renowned conductor Vasily Petrenko.