SPOTLIGHT
THE
MAHLER JOURNEY
This month, Music Director Christopher Warren-Green and the Charlotte Symphony complete their journey through Mahler’s Symphonies with his final completed work, the powerful and introspective Symphony No. 9.
Gustav Mahler is, undoubtedly, one of the most important and influential composers throughout history. His towering symphonies contain multitudes — the very essence of the human condition — love, hatred, life, and death. It’s easy for people to hear echoes of their own fears, joys, doubts, and sorrows in his music. It’s universal. Despite this, decades after his death, Mahler’s music was overshadowed by the modernist sounds of the second Viennese school — Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern — and his longer-living contemporary Richard Strauss. It wasn’t until the 1960s that conductors, most notably Leonard Bernstein, began to rediscover and champion his works; demystifying the genius to be found within these complex and massive symphonies. 10 spotlight: The Mahler Journey
And this is precisely what Christopher Warren-Green set out to do when, early in his tenure as Music Director, he invited Charlotte to join him and the Orchestra on a journey through Mahler’s most epic Symphonies. “By now, everyone knows that Mahler is one of my absolute favorite composers,” said Maestro Warren-Green, “not only because of the pure majesty and grandeur of his compositions but because of their complexities.” Now, in the final leg of the Mahler Journey, Maestro Warren-Green hopes all of Charlotte will join him in experiencing Mahler’s greatness through the Ninth Symphony. “If you’ve ever heard Mahler’s music, you’ll know what I mean, especially if you’ve heard it live, there is simply nothing like hearing it in person in the concert hall.”
