大象传媒

Mahler loved nature and found great inspiration in his outdoor adventures. In 1907 though he was diagnosed with a heart condition which put paid to that and, along with the death of his 4-year old daughter, thoughts of death were never far from his mind. Traumatised and needing a location away from the painful association with what he鈥檇 lost, his family took up summer residence in Toblach, a mountainous region on the Austro-Italian border.

This love of nature, combined with his preoccupation of the end is never more evident than in this symphony. In a letter to his wife, the composer Alban Berg said of Mahler鈥檚 Ninth 鈥淭he first movement is the greatest Mahler ever composed. It is the expression of a tremendous love for this earth, the longing to live on it peacefully and to enjoy nature to its deepest depths 鈥� before death comes. For death is inevitable鈥�.

Comparatively relaxed and graceful earthy folk dances lilt through the second movement, before a haunting darkness, blistering with intensity takes over in the third, with intense eruptions following gentle passages, and staggering contrapuntal virtuosity on show at every turn. If the gargantuan first movement is something to behold, then the finale, which matches it in length, is certainly its equal. Its fervent atmosphere and reflective tone, leaning towards an otherworldly quality at the close truly leaves a lasting impression.