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To Cherish and to Hold

Mahler and his wife seek out a peaceful, new Summer retreat. But Toblach, in the Dolomite mountains, will be the scene for yet more turmoil and grief. with Kate Molleson

Mahler and his wife look to put recent tragedies behind them and find a beautiful new place to spend their Summers. But Toblach, in the Dolomite mountains, will be the scene for yet more turmoil and grief.

Gustav Mahler: brilliant, fiery and tyrannical – leader of some the most prestigious musical institutions of his era – fought battles his whole life. He clashed with his colleagues, scrapped with critics and wrestled endlessly with his own desires and ambitions. This week, Kate Molleson navigates us through his many personal and professional struggles, and follows Mahler to the countryside hideaways where he sought (not always successfully) to escape the drama of his everyday life. Here, among the lakes and mountains, Mahler also found space to compose and he poured the whole world into his music in all its ugliness, mundanity and transcendent beauty.

Symphony No. 9: II: Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers (extract)
Budapest Festival Orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer

Das Lied von der Erde: IV. Von der Schonheit
Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marc Albrecht

Symphony No. 10 (ed. Deryck Cooke): III. Purgatorio
Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Daniel Harding

Symphony No. 8 'Symphony of a Thousand', Part 2 (final section)
Christine Brewer, soprano
Juliane Banse, soprano
Soile Isokoski ,soprano
Birgit Remmert, mezzo-soprano
Jane Henschel, mezzo-soprano
Jon Villars (tenor)
David Wilson-Johnson, baritone
John Relyea (bass)
City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus
London Symphony Chorus
Toronto Children's Choir
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle

Symphony No. 9: IV. Adagio (22:47)
Budapest Festival Orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer

Release date:

59 minutes

On radio

Fri 28 Mar 2025 16:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 28 Mar 2025 16:00

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