Programme
- Strauss – Four Last Songs
- Mahler – Symphony No. 4 in G major
FREE pre-concert talk starts 45 minutes prior to the concert at ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre.
The rapturous Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss represent a pinnacle in the orchestral song repertoire. Deliciously chromatic, heady and atmospheric, each movement blushes with decadent charm.
Singing in both works is the dramatic soprano Christiane Libor. From Strauss’ soaring phrases to the tender and delicate wonderment of Mahler, Libor’s luxurious voice revels in some of the most sumptuous music ever composed for the soprano voice.
In contrast, Mahler’s joyous Symphony No. 4 in G major maintains an almost child-like lightness throughout. Starting with sleighbells, we are swept through folk dances and devilish fiddle playing towards the last movement. A setting from the traditional German poetry collection Das Knaben Wunderhorn, this final song for soprano and orchestra describes heaven from a child’s perspective.
