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Mahler’s 5th Symphony at Musikverein Vienna

About the Event

Enjoy a concert in the world‐famous Great Hall (Grosser Saal) of Vienna's Musikverein and support the important work of two aid organizations. The UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra plays Mahler's 5th Symphony in a charity concert for the benefit of the Caritas Hospiz and the Hilfswerk Nachbarschaftszentren.

The most touching and most famous part of Mahler's 5th Symphony is the Adagietto in the 4th movement, which is understood as a musical declaration of love to his wife Alma Mahler. Its instrumentation consists only of strings and harp. It became world‐famous with the film Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti, whose film music makes extensive use of the Adagietto. The 5th Symphony was essentially composed between 1901 and 1902, with the composer writing his first sketches in the summer of 1901 in the composer's summer cottage in Maiernigg on Lake Wörthersee.

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is one of the premier university ensembles in the USA, and is now in its 24th season under Music Director David Milnes. Established in 1923, the UCBSO season consists of 15‐18 concerts covering the full repertory from the Baroque to the present. The orchestra has been taking masterclasses and rehearsals with Ricardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Marin Alsop, Esa‐Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel.

The Caritas Hospice accompanies seriously ill, dying people and their relatives, because despite serious illness, many things can be done to maintain or improve the quality of life. The Hilfwerk Nachbarschaftszentren (Neighborhood Centers) are places of exchange, networking and coexistence. With their diverse offerings, they are open to everyone and are there for people who need support or want to help. The net proceeds of the concert support the important work of the two aid organizations.

The Wiener Musikverein is one of the world's great concert halls. The home of the Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra and the centre of Viennese musical life, the building was opened in 1870 as a part of an ambitious plan to create an elegant cultural boulevard along the Ringstrasse. Designed in the Neo‐Classical style to resemble an Ancient Greek temple, the Great Hall of the Musikverein is deemed to be one of the best music halls in the world thanks to its impeccable acoustics.
In 2004 four new halls were added to the building. The Austrian architect Wilhelm Holzbauer recognised the aesthetic importance of the existing building and sought out ways to echo the style in a modern language of form. Each of the four New Halls focuses on a different material — glass, metal, stone, and wood.

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