Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 9 in D, GMW 50

As with DAS LIED VON DER ERDE, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) did not live to see his SYMPHONY NO. 9 in D Major performed. Diagnosed with a heart condition in the wake of his oldest daughter's death from diphtheria, he wrote the symphony in 1908 and 1909. Consequently, some critics interpreted it as the composer's personal farewell at its premiere by the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Bruno Walter, on June 26, 1912. The first movement, despite its remarkable cohesion, lasts twenty-five minutes. Alban Berg described it as "the greatest Mahler ever composed." Following the two inner movements, a lv§ndler and a burleske, the transcendent music of the finale seems to leave in its wake the world depicted so richly throughout his symphonic ˜ìuvre. Instrumentation: 4+Picc.4 (4th d. EH).3+ECl,BCl.4 (4th d. CBsn): 4.3.3.1: 2Timp.Perc(3-5): 2 Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition. 11x14 oversized full score.