The famous conductor is today, April 17th, 2025, at the rostrum of the Orchestra and Choir of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic. This evening's program includes The Symphony No. 2 in C minor, The "Resurrection" Symphony, by Gustav Mahler. The soprano Katerina Knezíková and the mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu will perform as soloists.

In The Symphony No. 2, The "Resurrection" Symphony, Mahler proposes a religious vision of the afterlife, marked by a personal interpretation, in which love represents the way to redemption. How do you understand the ideological ground of the musical discourse?

I think it is a combination between the two visions - his personal one and the consecrated, religious one. It is very appropriate to perform it in the Holy Week, of course. For Mahler it is not only about salvation through love, but also through worship of nature and of the cycle of life, it is not only about the soul that reaches another world and then it is resurrected and uplifted through this "Aufersteh'n", but also about the whole nature and the eternal cycle of regeneration - which can be found in seasons, in the water cycle for example - all this constant transformation. Therefore, for Mahler, these things are combined.

It is also about his personal conflict, about the drama of being forced since the beginning to work hard and to be rewarded very little for his work as a composer. His first symphony was not a success … In fact none of them, when first presented, were a great success until the eighth.

Mahler also worked as a conductor in many places - he was probably one of the best conductors of all times. However, he was unbending, so he never reached compromises with the orchestras, with the management teams or with anyone else - this caused him problems. He wanted to be dedicated only to music and he wanted everybody to do the same.

His constant struggle and strive are visible in the very first part of the Symphony -it can be said that the beginning is like a funeral of the artist. And then there are the dreams about other worlds - there are many connections to Schubert, who also placed the beauty of nature and the ugliness of human deeds in contrast. We can find Mahler's personal dreams in his musical discourse. In the second and third part, the approach is rather humoristic, existentialistic, we encounter the grotesque… The second part is probably the first ländler that he composed - Mahler was very specific about the different characteristics of the ländler and of the waltz. He felt much closer to the ländler, as part of the Austrian cultural heritage, than to the waltzes that appear for example in the Strauss family's creation. At the same time, Mahler's approach is an irony towards those who tried to compose a ländler, without really knowing this dance, that is why in the second part of the Symphony there are grotesque elements, various effects. The third part is based on the famous song inspired by St. Anthony of Padua's sermon to the fish. The Saint speaks to them about virtues, about right attitudes, but of course, firstly, the fish have no memory and secondly, no matter how hard the Saint tried to convince them, the fish would always do what they were meant to do.

The significance of this story is that no matter what you try to preach in this world, people won't listen anyway and they will go their own way. It is a very modern message, in a way. So in the third part of The Symphony we encounter many grotesque elements, and towards the end of this part, after the light, the glory of God, the wonder of the world become resonant, nothing changes. The fourth part is Urlicht - another song in the Knaben Wunderhorn cycle, that approaches the transition of the soul, of the spirit, to other dimensions. At the time when Mahler composed this Symphony, the theories about the cosmos were at the beginning, the world was very far from the moment when man would go to space. So there were other ways to approach these realms, these unknown dimensions. The fourth part is like a journey among the stars, through the vast, unknown universe, with the mezzosoprano. The discourse is infused with love, with faith in one's own spirit: Mahler's orchestration here is particularly delicate; it is one of the most peaceful symphonic parts he has ever written. Finalebegins with a new strike, an explosion, followed by a dissolution of the spirit, of the substance of the soul. Then, gradually, slowly, it comes back together, it recovers, it comes back to life. The a cappella choir enters with the Aufersteh'n (Resurrection) text, and from that point, the discourse is like a constant ascension, a rising toward the new life, the new glory, the next existence. The Symphony ends with all the people together, reunited in a common, great belief in the resurrection.

How does it feel for you to communicate these messages of huge importance, full of meaning, to the orchestra and to the audience? Do you see it as a responsibility?

I don't feel it as a responsibility. The beauty of classical music comes from the fact that, no matter the knowledge, religion, material status, gender, race or any other factor, people can attend the concert and have the same feelings, they can go through the same experiences. Maybe if you know more, you can enjoy a deeper understanding, but anyway, you will share the same feelings with the person sitting next to you. This is what classical music is about; it is accessible to anyone. Unfortunately, some consider it an art of the elite.

Of course, through knowledge, you can reach new understandings and new perspectives, but music is for everyone. The message is written by Mahler and it is undoubtedly understood by the audience. I think my role is to transmit as clear as possible the musical discourse, to reveal as much as possible what is beyond the notes. I can try to help the orchestra understand the significance of a particular fragment in the context of the whole musical discourse. If this "puzzle" is well constructed, then Mahler's message is going to be very clear for everyone. However, this is not about me, but about Gustav. My role is only to help the orchestra.