Surbiton Symphony Orchestra - Mahler's 'Tragic' Symphony | St Andrew's Church, Surbiton
Arts
Orchestra
The Surbiton Symphony Orchestra and Peter Le Tissier return for their first performance of 2025 pairing two works that, although their contrast could seemingly not be greater, both combine outpourings of overwhelming love with brilliant, evocative storytelling.
Nestled in the Swiss alps, in the cottage outside Luzern the composer had built for himself, Richard Wagner was at the peak of his compositional output when he wrote the
Siegfried-Idyll.
Initially for chamber orchestra, and originally intended as a birthday present for his wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried, the work is an astonishing portrait of the idyllic alpine lake where it was written, providing moments of charm and beauty alongside an astonishingly intimate expressivity.
Mahler's trips to the Carinthian Alps of Austria every summer to write are similarly legendary. In the early 1900's the composer had just married his wife Alma and they, too, had had their first child when Mahler set to writing his new work, the 6th Symphony. A brilliant twist on the 19th century's romantic optimism, this is a work bristling with energy from start-to-finish, ranging from furious march rhythms, gorgeous alpine vistas and, ultimately, 'killed off' by the two - literal - hammer blows that strike the heroic figure down in the final movement.
The opening movement portrays two themes set against each other - the first a purposeful, decisive march, the second an outpouring of overwhelming love for the composer's new wife. In a cinematic opening, the themes clash for supremacy before reaching a triumphant conclusion.
Following this, a repose allows the listener to sink into a world that, albeit not untampered, offers an alpine idyll amongst an otherwise highly energetic Symphony. Cowbells and horn calls mix with beautiful lyricism, before being undercut by the grotesque dance of the third movement. The stage is set for a brilliant finale - questions are here left to be answered: will our 'heroic figure' triumph? Will the piece end in the idyllic love and rapture? Or is the weight of the coming century and its two hammer blows too much for the music to bear?
To find out, join us at our home of St. Andrew's Church, Surbiton! Tickets are on sale NOW, with discounts for those under-30 and under-18.
Information Source: Surbiton Symphony Orchestra | eventbrite
