Titan

About this event

This Young Concert throws the spotlight on Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, the “Titan”, a work that draws a thick line under the 19th-century symphonic tradition. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) and Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki — praised for her razor-sharp, transparent readings of 20th-century music — set natural sounds, distorted birdcalls from the clarinet, crashing fanfares, and a double bass that nasally parodies the tune of “Brother Jacob” against each other. The result is a sonically overwhelming hundred minutes that scan like music speaking in quotation marks and stark images. The evening is designed for audiences aged 14 and over, with adult tickets available only when accompanied by a young person on a 1:1 basis. Teachers can download classroom materials from the “Music and School” network. If you suspect a symphony orchestra only does polite wallpaper sound, Mahler’s anarchic First is a witty, ear-scrubbing antidote.