Gustav and Alma

Mahler Grooves Festival

Sat / Mar 8, 2025 - 8:00PM

In Gustav’s Fifth Symphony and Alma’s Five Songs, Dudamel leads the LA Phil through the inner world and complex relationship of the Mahlers.

Program

- A. MAHLER
- Five Songs
- Intermission
- G. MAHLER
- Symphony No. 5

Artists

About this Performance

In the final weekend of the Mahler Grooves Festival, Gustavo Dudamel explores the tumultuous relationship of Gustav and Alma Mahler through their music. Their marriage was, at best, “complex,” marked by affairs, an age gap, diminishment, and the death of a child. Alma was a composer in her own right whose career took a back seat at Gustav’s request. At a particularly rocky moment in their relationship, Gustav finally encouraged her to publish Five Songs that are brought to life here by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. Next Dudamel leads Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, which progresses from mourning to triumph, inspired in no small part by Gustav meeting and becoming enchanted by Alma. Within the grand gesture is the Adagietto that was intended as a love letter.

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