Program
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor (1901-1902)
Alexey Retinsky
“Anaphora” for Symphony Orchestra
Details
For Mahler, symphonies always were a means of interpreting the most convoluted philosophical problems that couldn’t be resolved verbally. The ambitious structure of the five-part Fifth Symphony spans from the Funeral March to the roaring finale. It is a forthright attempt to resolve the tragic conflict with the surrounding world. The brilliant fourth part of the symphony, Adagietto, resembles a beautifully mysterious flower that every conductor reimagines in their own style. As one of the twentieth century’s most influential maestros, Mahler redefined the conductor’s role. For him, the conductor is just as integral to his own musical works as they are to the composer. When a maestro steps onto the podium and opens the score, he recreates musical universes from scratch. Teodor Currentzis and the musicAeterna orchestra have performed Mahler’s symphonies around the world for many years. The Fifth Symphony has earned its place as one of the highlights of the cycle.
Along with Mahler’s fifth symphony, the concert programme also includes a specifically commissioned piece by Alexey Retinsky, the first resident of musicAeterna’s composer laboratory in Saint Petersburg. Alexey Retinsky is a graduate of the Zurich University of the Arts and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz (under Prof. Beat Furrer). Retinsky’s works are frequently performed in Russian and European concert halls. This is part of musicAeterna’s new project which witnesses the dialogue between modern composers and the great masters of the past.