‘Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Harding’

Prepare for a journey between two very different worlds with the British star conductor Daniel Harding: from Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 to Mahler’s Lied von der Erde. Mendelssohn’s Fifth, nicknamed the "Reformation", might be less famous than his "Scottish" or "Italian" symphonies, but the music is no less brilliant. The serene opening has audiences on the edge of their seats, and Mendelssohn’s treatment of the Lutheran chorale Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott is virtuoso. In turn, Mahler confronts transience. After a series of personal tragedies, the composer felt that the ground had been swept from under his feet. Through a collection of Chinese poems, he sings of the fragility of existence, as well as its richness. The subdued, sublime final bars could have been written especially for the rising star Fleur Barron.