For Mahler, a symphony is more than pleasant music: it reflects every possible emotion. To make that audible, the NNO can rely on chief conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen. In the Fifth Symphony, an entire human life seems to pass by. In reverse order, that is, because the piece begins with a macabre funeral march and ends energetically. It is therefore the most optimistic symphony Mahler wrote. He had every reason for that, as his career was at its peak. Of course, the piece also has dark traits, because Mahler remains Mahler. His fears and doubts left their mark on the somber beginning. All the more effective is the second half, in which the sun breaks through and the music seems to take flight. Here, his intense love for Alma Schindler, his future wife, plays a role. The slow middle movement is an intense declaration of love with the tender sounds of harp and strings. After completing it, the proud composer wrote: “This symphony shows man in full daylight, in the strength of his life.”

Program

G. Mahler
Symphony nr.5 in cis kl.t.