Bach, Mahler, Mozart

Mahler made his mark on Bach’s 18th-century Orchestral Suite, refracting Bach’s Baroque world through his late Romantic warmth. A work once elegant and orderly, Mahler makes it expansive, dramatic, and full of emotion about the complexities of the human condition. Bach died before the modern orchestra was born, but here the Baroque remains honoured in tasteful restraint. It’s a nod to the past, inspired and informed.

A work of Mahler genius follows with Adagietto from Symphony No. 5. Gustav Mahler’s declaration of love to his future wife Alma, disguised in a musical manuscript. It’s a beautiful love song without words, evoking feeling so strong and longing that, at times, the music seems to imply emotional pain mixed with bliss.

Let the emotions erupt. Mozart’s Requiem, a towering choral work, is an affecting, sometimes confrontational setting of the Mass for the dead. It’s an honest coming-to, where death in the face of terror leads to a profound understanding and graceful surrender. The Requiem was famously unfinished by Mozart, as the Classical composer reckoned with death himself. Mozart’s Requiem is dramatic, devotional, and deeply human.

With thanks to PKF Goldsmith Fox, CSO Soloist Partner.

We're using a new ticketing platform, Humanitix! It's nice, accessible, and easy to use, but new things can be tricky. Please don't hesitate to give us a call on (03) 943 7791 or email ticketing@cso.co.nz.