ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911):
*Symphony No.3*
Gerhild Romberger _alto_
Chidren’s choir of the Flemish Opera
*Collegium Vocale Gent*
deFilharmonie
Edo de Waart
Gustav Mahler’s oeuvre is nothing if not impressive, and his nine symphonies capture both the hereafter and the human psyche. Number 3 is the longest and most comprehensive of his symphonies, its six extremely contrasting movements lasting an hour and a half. Mahler undertakes a journey beyond earthly suffering, setting his beloved text, _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ and the _Nachtwandlerlied_ from Nietzsche’s philosophical novel _Also sprach Zarathustra_. “Actually, this work cannot be called a symphony”, said the composer, and we should agree: it is an overwhelming total experience.