In December 2008, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks was listed among the ten best orchestras in the world by the British music magazine Gramophone.
Compositional Technique
In the Rondo-Burleske movement of Mahler's Ninth Symphony, polyphony, traditionally a principle of order in music, is used to create chaos, reflecting Mahler's view of the 'appalling babble of voices of the modern age'.
Performer Biography
The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) was founded in 1949 and has since become an internationally renowned orchestra, consistently ranked among the top in the world.
Composition History
Mahler's Ninth Symphony was drafted in 1909, after a period of personal crisis for the composer, during which he resumed his mountain walks.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mahler's Ninth Symphony, despite common interpretations, was not primarily about his impending death, but rather about the loss of his mountain walks and the question of how to begin a new life.
Performer Biography
Bernard Haitink has received multiple Grammy Awards, including one in 2004 for his recording of Janáček's opera Jenůfa and another in 2008 for his Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 recording with the Chicago Symphony.
Performer Biography
Bernard Haitink, the conductor on this album, has had an international career spanning over five decades and has held posts as music director for several major orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw and the London Philharmonic.
