Mahler 4 with Karina Canellakis
About the event
In his Fourth Symphony, we hear Mahler at his sunniest; here we hear 'the cheerfulness of a higher world, unknown to us'. Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis leads the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in one of Mahler's lightest symphonies. Mahler 4
In his monumental Fourth Symphony, Mahler connects the simple life, the beauty of nature, and rural life with the perfection of heaven. He does not shy away from themes such as death and transience—the second movement is a dance of death with the Grim Reaper as a dancing violinist—but the existential angst that seems to dominate in many of Mahler's symphonies is much more in the background here. In the finale, the soprano sings of Heavenly joy: 'Wir genießen die himmlischen Freuden'.
Karina Canellakis
The American Karina Canellakis, chief conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, is obsessed with Mahler. The Guardian wrote lyrically: 'Her sublimely executed interpretation of Mahler's First Symphony, in which every detail was razor-sharp and the dynamic range as wide as possible, confirmed her mastery of large-scale musical structures; everything, whether expressive or vulgar, seemed to fall exactly into the right place.' Ten years ago, soprano Julia Kleiter sang the soprano solos in Mahler's Fourth in our Main Hall with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Daniele Gatti. The live recording that was released was widely praised, and Kleiter received much accolades.
