Mahler 1

About this event

Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, long admired for her skill in contemporary music, now increasingly turns to the core repertoire. For this programme she pairs Gustav Mahler’s First symphony with Kaija Saariaho’s trumpet concerto HUSH. Mahler’s 'Titan' is a work of bold contrasts – from the awakening of nature with cuckoo calls and fanfares to the grotesque funeral march and a finale of blazing triumph – that lives at the border between late-Romantic grandeur and a startling modernity. Saariaho’s HUSH, the composer’s last completed orchestral work, is a meditation on final things: death, silence, and the meaning of human life. The Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, who premiered the piece under Mä lkki in 2023, describes it as deeply atmospheric and moving,; he virtually embodying the voice of the composer. His playing moves between whispered intimacy and the intrusion of everyday noise, much like Mahler’s own embrace of the rough sounds of the world. The concert lasts about 1 hour 45 minutes including an intermission. A pre-concert introduction (6 p.m,. on Thursday, 7 p.m,. on Friday) offers context for anyone whishing to dig deeper.