Mahler Symphony No. 9

Mahler famously stated, that “a symphony must be like a world; it must contain everything”. Guided by this saying the British conductor Daniel Harding and the Verbier Festival Orchestra, capture the colossal spectrum of emotions in Mahler’s last completed symphony (1908–1909). Their performance of the 9th Symphony has been recorded live at the 2017 Verbier Festival and will be released on February 2. The symphony’s rustic second movement is now available to listen to.

This recording of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is an event, because it was made with period instruments of the kind the composer used in Vienna. The Mahler Academy Orchestra set itself the task of reconstructing this instrumentarium and researching how musicians of the time played it: ‘We were struck during our rehearsals by the incredibly distinctive characterisation of the woodwinds, the shattering blare of the brass, the perfect balance between the instruments, and the pure and warm sound of the strings…

This recording of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is an event, because it was made with period instruments of the kind the composer used in Vienna. The Mahler Academy Orchestra set itself the task of reconstructing this instrumentarium and researching how musicians of the time played it: ‘We were struck during our rehearsals by the incredibly distinctive characterisation of the woodwinds, the shattering blare of the brass, the perfect balance between the instruments, and the pure and warm sound of the strings…

This is Dudamel’s first CD with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, recorded live at LA’s famed Disney Concert Hall as part of their epic 2012 Mahler Project, celebrating one of the most energetic and exciting musical partnerships of our times - The coming together of the very finest American orchestra, led with passion and vision by the unique force of nature that is Gustavo Dudamel.

As the last completed symphony that Mahler wrote, the Ninth has often been heard by audiences as the composer’s swan song: a nostalgic, moving farewell from a composer conscious of his own mortality. This interpretation is of course easily justifiable, as etched into the musical fabric of the symphony are references to the tragedies that befell the composer in the years before his death.

The Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1908 and 1909, and was the last symphony that he completed. A typical performance takes about 75 to 90 minutes. A survey of conductors voted Mahler's Symphony No. 9 the fourth greatest symphony of all time in a ballot conducted by BBC Music Magazine in 2016. As in the case of his earlier Das Lied von der Erde, Mahler did not live to see his Symphony No. 9 performed.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.9 - Conducted by Wyn Morris
FLAC, Unknown rip, Cue, No log, Scans | 472 MB, RS
Classical | Label: IMP, Released: 1992 | Recorded: 1978

Wyn Morris (1929 – 2010) was especially acknowledged for his interpretations of Gustav Mahler's works, which he recorded almost complete during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the first to record Deryck Cooke's second performing version of Mahler's Symphony No. 10 in 1972, only the third time a recording of the work had been made. His recordings remain in the catalog for study and enjoyment. Once described as a "Celtic Furtwängler", Morris was an inspirational and at times spontaneous musician.

The Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1908 and 1909, and was the last symphony that he completed. A typical performance takes about 75 to 90 minutes. A survey of conductors voted Mahler's Symphony No. 9 the fourth greatest symphony of all time in a ballot conducted by BBC Music Magazine in 2016. As in the case of his earlier Das Lied von der Erde, Mahler did not live to see his Symphony No. 9 performed.