Blows of Fate

In the long and venerable tradition of the Gürzenich Orchestra, Gustav Mahler and his oeuvre play an important role. He himself conducted the orchestra several times, and two of his symphonies were given their first performance by the Gürzenich Orchestra. Since then, he has been among the pillars of the repertoire of the orchestra, whose distinct sound had a decisive influence on Mahler’s compositional style – similar to the symphonic works of Johannes Brahms.

Fate comes knocking on the door. Not softly, but with the brutal force of a wooden sledgehammer, which makes a big appearance in the final movement of the Symphony No. 6. Is this monumental  work a vision? Did the composer have a premonition of the coming tragedies in his own life, the death of his daughter, the diagnosis of his own illness, the forced break in his professional career? Perhaps even the horrors of World War I? One thing is certain: the symphony is monumental in every way. Lasting approximately 80 minutes, it commands a huge orchestral cast, displaying an emotional scale that ranges from almost orgiastic jubilance to abysmal depression. It can sound ethereal, almost otherworldly, then switch to noisy brutality. This is Mahler at his most varied, enigmatic and surprising – rather like life itself.