In 1901, after a grave illness, Gustav Mahler started to compose with surprising speed. In spite of his urge to live and create, his works from that period revolve around the theme of death.
The songs opening the concert were written to texts by Friedrich Rückert. The poet had attempted to process the deaths of his two children by writing 428 poems, five of which Mahler set to music for solo voice and chamber orchestra. As he was creating the song cycle, he could have no inkling that he too would lose his young daughter a year later. The songs evoke in turn an unhappy sunrise, death reflected in children's eyes, the emptiness of everyday activities and the veiled hope that nothing is actually amiss before leading to a sense of acceptance in a brilliant major key. Taking the stage as the soloist will be mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger, who has sung Mahler with the BFO before.
Mahler's marriage to Alma Schindler added previously unseen positive energy to Mahler's music. After starting off in a minor key, his fifth symphony ends a semitone higher, and in a major key. Although, starting with this work, the composer would never again write textual programmes for his music, the score contains many allegorical references. The five-movement work presents a funeral march, a storm, a dance, a vow of love to the composer's wife and concludes with a humorous ending. 'Absolutely required listening,' is how one critic described the BFO's 2013 recording of this same symphony, and we feel quite sure that we can say the same thing about this performance as well.

Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra