New York Philharmonic

Mahler, Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic is a threesome that couldn’t possibly be more promising. For one thing, the spirit of Gustav Mahler himself is embedded in the orchestra’s DNA after he conducted this world-class ensemble for two years in the early 1900s. For another, the recently appointed Music and Artistic Director Gustav Dudamel deeply admires Mahler and is fully in his element when conducting the great composer‘s works. This evening’s concert at the Elbphilharmonie features Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. It is a much-loved work, and although it premiered in Cologne rather than in the American metropolis, it has long since become a signature piece of the NY Phil. With a funeral march and a furious finale, as well as rich melodies and joyful dances, the symphony nevertheless has a delicate core. Its ethereal Adagietto evokes a fragile and dreamlike image of a better world in a declaration of love from Mahler to his wife.