Gustav Mahler, the composer, was revered as a conductor during his lifetime, but his own compositions were barely recognized until 95 years after his death.
Recording & Production
The National Concert Hall, where this album was recorded, features a 45-ton acoustic canopy that can rise, sink, and revolve, accommodating various recording and performance needs.
Performer Biography
Iván Fischer, the conductor, founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 1983 after a successful international career, introducing intense rehearsal methods and an emphasis on chamber music.
Composition History
Mahler composed his Sixth Symphony, a work filled with violent inner disturbance, during an unusually happy period of his life, having married Alma Schindler and welcomed two daughters.
Interpretation
Conductor Iván Fischer experimented with the order of Mahler's Symphony No. 6 middle movements during a European tour, changing them at every concert to understand Mahler's original doubts.
Interpretation
Iván Fischer believes Mahler's decision to remove the third hammer blow from the Sixth Symphony's finale was a stroke of genius, making the muted climax near the end less theatrical and more balanced.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the Palace of Arts in Budapest, a venue designed to be a world-class cultural center with adjustable acoustics.
