Regularly described as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester was founded by the visionary conductor Claudio Abbado as a platform for exceptionally talented young musicians to perform alongside established stars of the classical music world. For this concert, they join forces with Kirill Petrenko – the acclaimed chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic – in a programme that includes Gustav Mahler’s radiant Fifth Symphony.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 achieved lasting fame at the latest through Luchino Visconti’s film »Death in Venice«. The delicate Adagietto proved such a perfect match for the feverish imagery of Thomas Mann’s story on screen that, for many listeners, the music instantly conjures up those scenes. During Mahler’s lifetime, however, the symphony was not nearly so well received. As the composer himself admitted: »The Fifth is a cursed work. No one understands it.« Today, it ranks among his most frequently performed symphonies.
Paul Hindemith’s Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass combines Baroque forms with modern harmonies and driving rhythms. The work stands as a prime example of his neoclassical style: clear structures, dense counterpoint and a powerful yet transparent orchestral sound that gives this compact composition its distinctive energy.
PERFORMERS
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester orchestra
Kirill Petrenko conductor
PROGRAM
Paul Hindemith
Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass, Op. 50
- Interval -
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
