Darkness to Light - Mahler Symphony No. 5
Friday, November 7, 2025
Saturday, November 8, 2025
7:30 PM at Maryland Hall
Jean Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela, Op. 22, No. 2
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5
Sibelius’ The Swan of Tuonela opens the evening with its dark, dreamlike beauty. Inspired by Finnish mythology, this atmospheric tone poem depicts a swan gliding through the waters of the underworld, its song carried by the haunting voice of the English horn. With rich, brooding harmonies and a sense of quiet inevitability, Sibelius transports the listener to a world both distant and deeply moving.
Mahler’s 5th Symphony moves between powerful, mournful themes in the opening funeral march, to moments of joyful exuberance in the Scherzo, to a slow, intensely lyrical movement for strings and harp in the famous Adagietto, and ending with a massive rondo. The music is an emotional odyssey that moves from darkness into radiant light, punctuated by longing, exuberance, and finally, triumph. Throughout the performance, expect virtuosic solos from ASO Principal Horn Alex Kovling and ASO Principal Trumpet Christopher Sala, among others.
Where Have I Heard This Before?
Herbert von Karajan, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years, once said that when you hear Mahler’s 5th, “you forget that time has passed. A great performance of the Fifth is a transforming experience.” The beautiful Adagietto movement is perhaps the most familiar piece of Mahler’s musical output. Leonard Bernstein conducted it during the funeral mass for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on June 8, 1968. Featured in the 1971 Luchino Visconti film Death in Venice, it was also used in commemorative events following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5, Performed by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Myung-Whun Chung, conductor. Click here to listen.
THANK YOU! This performance is made possible in part with the support of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC.org) and Arts Council of Anne Arundel County (ACAAC.org).
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