Two of the giants of the music world in the early twentieth century were the German Richard Strauss and the Austrian Gustav Mahler. Their music is so popular today that a symphony season without something by each of them is almost inconceivable. From Strauss we hear two of his last compositions, the exquisite opening to his final opera, Capriccio, set in a highly refined eighteenth-century world of esthetics, sophistication and gentle wit. Strauss is justly acclaimed as one of the greatest song composers. Justification for this claim is nowhere better seen than in his ineffably beautiful Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs ), music deeply imbued with a sense of quiet confidence, peace, tranquility and resignation. From Mahler we hear his Fourth Symphony, music of childlike charm and gentle radiance. The symphony concludes with a child’s view of heaven. What a great way to end a concert!
