The Sociedad de Conciertos La Filarmónica presents on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphony Hall of the Auditorio Nacional de Música of Madrid the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its titular Alain Altinoglu, which will perform the 9th Symphony of Gustav Mahler. Tickets can be purchased here.
The death of his daughter Maria (My Lonesome Putzi) in 1907 was a devastating blow to Gustav Mahler. Forty-eight hours after the loss, he was diagnosed with a heart attack that would later end his life. These events would lead him into a deep existential crisis that would be reflected in the letter he sent to his friend Bruno Walter: “If I want to find my way back to myself, I have to accept the horrors of solitude.”
In search of comfort and inspiration, Mahler retreated to the mountains of Tyrol, where he began sketching one of his masterpieces, The Song of the Earth, a work in which he expresses his anguish and resignation before death. The last movement, Der Abschied (“Farewell”), symbolizes his farewell to life and reconciliation with destiny.
The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1929, is one of the first radio orchestras in Germany. It stands out for the quality of its wind section, the strings and a great interpretive wealth. With its titular Alain Altinoglu, it combines musical excellence with a varied repertoire.
Alain Altinoglu is music director of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2021. He has achieved great international recognition for his interpretations of the Romantic, Impressionist and contemporary repertoire. He regularly conducts some of the most prestigious orchestras in the world and in 2023 also took over the artistic direction of the Colmar International Festival. Born in Paris in 1975, he also serves as a professor at the city’s Conservatory of Music.