Boston Philharmonic Orchestra: Strauss / Mahler No. 4

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Zander conductor

Strauss Four Last Songs

Mahler Symphony No. 4 - Claire Booth, soprano

This concert features Mahler Symphony No. 4. Like all the Mahler Symphonies it is a work of infinite shadings of dark and light, a work of ambiguities and unrest. But of all Mahler’s Symphonies it is the one most aptly characterized by the word “genial.” Although there are clouds in the sky of this symphony, no storm breaks, and when the clouds fully part we are given a glimpse of heaven, first in all its glory, and then, through the voice of a child, of the intimacy of its perfected miracle of love. Although there were many jubilant shouts of joy to come in later symphonies, Mahler was never again to know the simple and sublime serenity that infuses some of the most memorable parts of this work. The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by soprano, Claire Booth.