Gustav Mahler »Symphony No. 2« in C minor (»Resurrection«)

Mahler Three Ways

That the Rundfunkchor Berlin is performing Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony three times in a single season speaks volumes about the overwhelming quality and popularity of this music – and, of course, of the choir itself. The ensemble will have the unusual experience of performing the same work within such a short space of time under three different conductors, and thus in three distinct interpretations.

Between Fidelity and Freedom

Just how much they differ will depend, in part, on the extent to which each conductor chooses to emancipate themselves from Mahler’s exceptionally meticulous performance instructions. For Mahler, an experienced and celebrated opera conductor in his lifetime, left nothing to chance – he had very precise ideas about how his music should sound, and he knew exactly how to achieve them. In this concert, you can look forward to the interpretation of Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, who will lead the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.