Concert

Valery Gergiev conducts Schubert's Symphony No. 4 and Mahler's Symphony No. 4 – With Genia Kühmeier

Münchner Philharmoniker

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Cast

Genia Kühmeier — Soprano

Münchner Philharmoniker

Valery Gergiev — Conductor

Program notes

Join Valery Gergiev, the Münchner Philharmoniker, and soprano Genia Kühmeier for a concert of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun); Schubert's Symphony No. 4, "Tragic"; and Mahler's Symphony No. 4 at Carnegie Hall.

The three works on this program have a distinctive subtlety and delicacy. Debussy’s Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune has a magical atmosphere, "spellbinding and mysterious," in the words of Pierre Boulez. It is a free illustration of Stéphane Mallarmé's beautiful poem about a half-man, half-goat creature from an ancient Greek legend. Schubert’s Fourth Symphony, written when the composer was only 19, includes tributes to Haydn and Beethoven, but features one of Schubert’s most heavenly slow movements; many consider the symphony to be a masterwork of the composer's early period. Finally, Mahler's Fourth Symphony evokes visions of the idyllic—especially in the finale, where the soprano gives a child’s vision of heaven. Often called Mahler's "light" symphony, with an unusually crystalline orchestration, the work holds a unique place in the composer's oeuvre.

Photo: Valery Gergiev © Decca/Marco Borggreve

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