7. Symphony Concert

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 8 in E flat major

With Gustav Mahler's monumental Eighth Symphony, Cornelius Meister and the State Orchestra continue their Mahler cycle and, together with eight vocal soloists, the children's choir and the State Opera Choir, bring the symphony concert series to a crowning conclusion. Shortly after completing the score, Mahler said in 1907: "The symphony must be like the world. It must encompass everything". This central credo for Mahler is reflected in the variety of forms and musical characters of his Eighth Symphony. Baroque fugue techniques can be found in it as well as a tonal language influenced by Richard Wagner. The first and only two performances during his lifetime were Mahler's greatest triumph. After the premiere in 1910, Thomas Mann commented that Mahler embodied "the most serious and sacred artistic will of our time".