Gustav Mahler. Symphony No. 9

In 1986, Claudio Abbado founded the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Vienna, consisting of the most talented young musicians in Europe. To this day, the orchestra is one of the most welcome guests around the world. Under the baton of Claudio Abbado, a great interpreter of Mahler's works, the great composer's Symphony No. 9 is performed.

The Ninth Symphony is Mahler's last completed work. Together with the unfinished Tenth and "Die der Erde", they form the composer's farewell trilogy.

In August 1909, Mahler completed work on "Die der Erde" in Altschulderbach. And only a superstitious fear of the number 9, which became fatal for Ludwig van Beethoven and Anton Bruckner, prevented him from calling this work a symphony. However, in August of the same year, the composer nevertheless began work on a new composition, which he fearlessly called "Symphony No. 9".

In the fall of 1909, Mahler took the manuscript of the symphony with him to New York "in such a state that it was almost impossible to make out", and rewrote it in 1910. The unsuccessful premiere of the Fifth Symphony subsequently prompted Mahler to take his time with the publication of his works. The premiere of the Eighth Symphony took place only in September 1910, it became the composer's first real triumph, but Mahler did not have time to conduct "Die Lied von der Erde". Its premiere in November 1911 was conducted by Bruno Walter. Under his direction, the first performance of the Ninth Symphony took place in Vienna on June 26, 1912.

PERFORMERS:

Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra

Conductor - Claudio Abbado

Basilica of Santa Cecilia, Rome, 2004