Mahler’s Symphony No.1 – Public dress rehearsal

Elias Grandy – conductor
Paula Murrihy – mezzo-soprano

Bohuslav Martinů: Nipponari, symphonic fantasy (22′)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major (53′)

A musical evening bringing together the imaginative sound world of the young Bohuslav Martinů and the expansive symphonic vision of Gustav Mahler.

Symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything.Gustav Mahler

The symphonic fantasy Nipponari was written in 1912, at a time when Europe was fascinated by Japanese art. In this work, Martinů responds to short Japanese poems, creating music rich in delicate colours, unusual rhythms, and subtle moods poised between impressionism and a symbolist atmosphere. The mezzo-soprano voice does not act as a traditional narrator, but becomes part of the orchestra – another colour within the shifting sound palette. The vocal part will be sung by the Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy.

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major is a work in which the composer’s distinctive symphonic language already begins to emerge clearly. From the quiet “awakening” of nature in the opening, music grows, moving between lyricism, irony, and dramatic contrasts. The third movement introduces an unexpected funeral march based on the familiar melody of the children’s song Frère Jacques, which Mahler presents in a minor key and in the dark colouring of a solo double bass.