“One of the seven wonders of the symphonic world,” as Mahler’s fifth was once referred to, following its 1904 premiere in Cologne. Adagietto, which took off on its own right in the movie adaptation of Death in Venice, was an encore at the BFO’s very first concert in 1983. Iván Fischer, who founded the Hungarian Mahler Society, has made it a special point ever since to present the composer’s works.

In the description of the program, the indication of the scale of Mahler’s symphony No. 5 is somewhat misleading, as the piece, beginning in a dark C-sharp minor, wraps up in the final movement in a brightly shining D major key. This is not only about enlightenment, but also an ascent, in both the literal as well as the figurative sense of the word: the piece of five movements describes the passage from death to light. Unlike his earlier symphonies, the composer did not employ a choral section or a choral program for the piece. The purely instrumental work was composed in 1902, during one of Mahler’s most prolific periods, around the time when he married Alma Schindler. Although it includes no titles, the instructions spelled out in the score are very specific. Possibly interpreted as a zeroth movement, the funeral march – evoking Beethoven’s No. 5 – is to be performed “at a measured pace” and “strictly.” Then, the second movement, which rounds out the first part of the piece, is described as “crashing stormily.” Even though this movement includes the glimmer of D major, it concludes on a deeply sorrowful note. The “strong” middle movement transforms the ländler into both a pleasant dance and a haunting vision. The third part is a confession of love to Alma, beginning with the “very slow” and “intimate” adagietto known worldwide, scored for the string section and a harp, and then followed by the “playful” and “fresh” rondo finale, which explodes immediately, without a pause.