Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, Lü Jia
The Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona performs Gustav Mahler's mournful yet powerful Symphony No. 9 at Verona's Teatro Filarmonico, the last symphonic work the great composer completed. Featuring musical allusions from the likes of Ludwig van Beethoven, the symphony includes several light folk-tune-inspired touches as well as darker, more substantial passages. With the Chinese maestro Lü Jia conducting, this is a concert that offers the chance to experience Mahler's poignant farewell to music, a symphony he never got to hear performed during his lifetime.
Mahler was just 50 years old when he died in 1911, a somewhat premature death brought on by complications surrounding a heart condition. Written in 1908 and 1909, the Ninth Symphony would be the composer's Romantic swansong. Mahler is often seen as a composer who bridges the symphonic gap between the high Romantic era of the 19th century and the modern influences that would shape the early and mid-20th century. His Ninth Symphony is at the heart of this legacy, widely regarded by many to be among the very best symphonic works to have ever been written. It begins in D major but the work progresses over its four enthralling movements with a distinctly progressive tonal scheme, resulting in a listening experience that sounds modern yet traditional at the same time.
The symphony is emotionally charged. Mahler's eldest daughter died shortly before composition commenced, at the beginning of the summer of 1907. Maria Anna was a much-loved four-year-old child when she died, a tragic event that coincided, more or less, with the composer's diagnosis of heart troubles. The symphony's debut took place the year after Mahler had succumbed to his condition. The premiere was held on 26 June 1912 at the Vienna Festival, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Bruno Walter.
Brought up in a musical family living in Shanghai, Lü Jia studied conducting at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing after initially focusing on the piano in childhood. When he was just 24 years old, Lü continued his studies in Europe, attending the University of Arts in Berlin. Soon after, he won first prize at the Antonio Pedrotti International Conducting Competition in Trento, a competition in which he was also awarded the jury's prize, a prestigious double win for the young conductor. Lü is well-versed at performing at the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, having served as the Music Director at Fondazione Arena di Verona before, making this an ideal concert for all lovers of Mahler's symphonies who want to witness a true maestro at the podium.