Fri 4 Jun
G. Mahler
Symphony No. 2
8:30pm | St. Stephen's Cathedral
"Why did you live? Why did you suffer? Is it all just a big, terrible joke? We must resolve these questions in some way if we are to go on living." - these are the words of Gustav Mahler on his Resurrection Symphony - questions of meaning that arise with particular urgency at this time. At the same time, this concert is also emblematic of the resurrection of the arts and culture scene, which the Ensemble ZusammenKlänge celebrates.
Mahler's second symphony is all about his existential struggle, which is expressed in its form and its overwhelming sound volumes. It is an exceptional work in every respect. Like his great model Beethoven, the composer focused entirely on the combination of words and music, of cantata and symphony. The work breaks temporal and spatial conventions, from remote instruments to the specification of pause lengths. As a special sound space, St. Stephen's Cathedral offers an acoustically unique concert experience with the Resurrection Symphony and musicians positioned in two different parts of the Cathedral.
The Ensemble ZusammenKlänge is composed of students from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) and the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität (MUK). In the Ensemble ZusammenKlänge they are united by the joy of making music together.