Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler Symphony No. 2

Mahler
Symphony No. 2, Resurrection

Benjamin Zander,
conductor

Claudia Huckle,
CONTRALTO

Sonja Tengblad,
soprano

Chorus Pro Musica
Jamie Kirsch, music director

About the Program

A live performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is always more than a concert—it is a communal experience. This overwhelming, heaven-storming symphony takes the listener on a long journey towards an exalted destination. It starts by laying the hero of Mahler’s First Symphony, the Titan, to rest, with a shatteringly dramatic, annihilating funeral march. And then the rest of the symphony builds a new pathway to hope and ultimate affirmation. In the second and third movements a critical eye scans both the beauty and the absurdity of this world. And in the final two movements the transition is effected from earthly striving and insufficiency to heavenly fulfillment. There is no work in the repertory, none whatsoever, that so completely unites performers and audience in a transformative musical affirmation.

We are extraordinarily fortunate in our vocal soloists for this performance. British contralto Claudia Huckle is considered a rising star on the international scene and an experienced interpreter of Mahler’s vocal music, and Sonja Tengblad’s silvery soprano voice, familiar to Boston audiences from her many performances with the Handel and Haydn Society, is a perfect match for the ecstatic music Mahler wrote at the end of the symphony.

Buy Tickets

One night only!
Friday, april 14, 2017
8:00pm / Symphony Hall

Guide to the music with Benjamin Zander, 6:45pm