Mahler's Symphony No. 6 'Tragic'

Mahler's Symphony No. 6 'Tragic' was composed, for the most part, during the summers of 1903 and 1904, during a break from his duties as director of the Vienna Opera, a position he had held since 1897. The work premiered on 27 May 1906 in Essen, with the score already subject to revision, under the musical direction of the composer himself. Symphony No. 6 was written at an important moment in his life, preceded by his marriage to Alma Schindler in 1902 and the birth of his two daughters, Maria Anna and Anna, in 1902 and 1904, respectively. In this symphonic work we hear grand, almost sublime romantic gestures, as well as marked moments of an almost martial character. However, the final movement offers the listener a play of dark and harrowing emotions, where the world seems to bear down upon a man in deep despair and agony: Mahler uses the orchestra in all its monumentality, building a range of textures and varying emotional intensities – sometimes with fragmented musical ideas. Pre-concert talk by Alexandre Delgado at 4:30 PM. El Corte Inglés supports the CCB Classical Music Mediation Programme.