The musicians of one of America's finest orchestras bring their storied sound to the famed Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria—home country of their esteemed music director, the great Franz Welser-Möst, who leads them here in an all-Mahler program! With them this evening is the captivating Simon Keenlyside, voted one of the ten best baritones of all time in BBC Music Magazine, who begins the program in a selection of Mahler's songs, including bright compositions from Mahler's youth—arranged for baritone and orchestra by Luciano Berio—and excerpts from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. After the pause, Welser-Möst and the universally acclaimed orchestra turn their focus to Mahler's Symphony No. 7, nicknamed Lied der Nacht (Song of the Night), often viewed as a journey from a tonally uncertain dusk to the broad daylight of its C major finale. Played less often than some of Mahler's other symphonies, the Seventh is nonetheless a richly rewarding listen, full of unconventional instrumentation with the use of tenorhorn, guitar, mandolin, and cowbell.

Photo © Roger Mastroianni