Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano: Mahler Festival #1

About the Event

Witness the awe‐inspiring performance of Gustav Mahler's masterworks like never before at the extraordinary Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo in Milan. Since its opening in 1999, nearly 25 years ago, this venue has showcased Mahler's Second Symphony 'Resurrection' as its inaugural performance.

The genesis of the Second Symphony was a long and complex process, unlike any other work by Mahler. Drawing influences from his first symphony, the composition weaves together a narrative that lays the hero to rest in the finale, only to experience a new resurrection that resonates with the man of his time. From the hero's funeral to the Last Judgment and resurrection, the symphony takes the listener on a journey through a whimsical and enchanting world inspired by the Wunderhorn.

Mahler believed that in a musical form of such grand scale, after utilizing a colossal ensemble, it was the redemptive word that would bring fulfillment to his concept in the finale. The revelation for this came at the funeral of Hans von Bülow, who passed away in 1894. As the choir, accompanied by the organ, intoned the choral on Klopstock's text 'Resurrect!', Mahler was struck by a lightning bolt of inspiration, revealing a clear and bright purpose in his soul. The creator yearns for this lightning, as it represents the 'holy conception'. The profound experience Mahler had to translate into sounds.

Don't miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to immerse yourself in the transformative power of Mahler's music at the remarkable Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo in Milan. Experience classical music like never before.