Symphony No. 3 in D Minor

Lasting an hour and a half, Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D minor is not only the Austrian master's longest composition but also the second-longest symphonic work in the entire repertoire! It certainly takes a masterpiece of such magnitude to animate the ambitious program of Symphony No. 3: narrating the creation of the world and giving voice to all the creatures that inhabit it! Although the titles were removed before the score was published in 1898, Mahler had originally planned a program that explained the musical content of his work, consistent with what he had done for his previous symphonies. Thus, the six movements that make up the symphony respectively give voice to "mountain rocks," "meadow flowers," "forest animals" "man," "angels," and finally, "love." This last movement, representing the birth of life itself, concludes the work by reconciling the sonic tapestry created by the preceding movements.