The fourth movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, an Adagietto (“little Adagio”) scored only for strings and harp, is an island of calm in the seething tumult of the Fifth Symphony. Its gentle sound and restrained atmosphere made this movement instantly attractive to audiences. Beginning very quietly, this music is soon full of longing: its arcing, graceful melodies unfold with a bittersweet intensity, rise gradually to a soaring climax, and finally fall back to the peaceful close.
During the summers of 1884 and 1885, Johannes Brahms composed his Symphony No. 4, working secretly in Mürzzuschlag, a quiet Austrian town of in the Alps, as was his usual practice. Despite the beautiful surroundings and his widespread success (he was generally regarded as Germany’s greatest living composer), the work that emerged would be one of the darkest symphonies in the repertoire. At the same time, it is also a work of profound depth that many critics regard as his greatest masterpiece.
Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafał Janiak – conductor
Gustav Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 cin C sharp minor
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor Op. 98
The concert broadcast on Kraków Philharmonic YouTube channel.
Photo: Mürzzuschlag around 1900 on a postcard
