Van Zweden Conducts Mahler, Royal Festival Hall

It was whilst sat in the funeral of his good friend, conductor Hans von Bülow in 1884, that Viennese composer Gustav Mahler conjured the idea of his Second Symphony – a work to embrace a supreme vision of human emotion - suffering, despair, hope and elation.  

The result, finished a decade later, is little short of a masterpiece; a bridge between the Romantic and Modernist traditions, at an epic length, with unprecedentedly large orchestral and vocal forces – the work, nicknames ‘The Resurrection Symphony’ knocks you between the eyes.

The brilliant London Philharmonic Orchestra promises to do the great work justice at the Royal Festival Hall this November, under Dutchman Jaap van Zweden. One of today’s most sought-after conductors, he is celebrated for his boldness and dynanism.

The concert programmes this great symphony alongside nothing else.  It’s a smart move: not only is the piece a great length (up to an hour and a half), but its emotional might tends to make music that’s heard in conjunction pale in comparison.  

The work's apex is undoubtedly its epic ending; with full chorus, battling against the orchestra, soloists, and an organ, the emotional impact is quite something.  Mahler said of it:  "The increasing tension, working up to the final climax, is so tremendous that I don’t know myself, now that it is over, how I ever came to write it." 

It’s sure to be a brilliant evening and a must for those who don’t know the work.  We promise you won’t regret it.