The Symphony I in D major "The Titan" by Gustav Mahler will be performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam under the baton of the Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, Thursday, May 8th, 2025, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels - this huge cultural edifice that also includes the emblematic "Henry le Boeuf" hall (a space named after an important Belgian banker of the late 19th century, supporter of the arts), famous for its exceptional acoustics, but also for the 2100 seats available.

Klaus Mäkelä, whom The Times sees as capable of "turning every sound into an image", was born in 1996 in Helsinki and first trained as a cellist. He has been Principal Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra since 2020 and Music Director of the Paris Orchestra since 2021, and in September 2027 he will also assume the title of Principal Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

You will have the opportunity to listen to a creation famous for the divergent states it brings to the fore, considered typical for Mahler, but also for the search for reconciliation with oneself that joins in the expressive plane. The work will be sung in the four-part version. It should be noted, however, that for the first performances, the premiere in Budapest in 1889, followed by performances in Hamburg in 1893 and in Weimar in 1894, there was also an additional second part, "Blumine" or "Inflorescence". Mahler brings back motifs from "Blumine" throughout his work, in interesting agreement with Beethoven's practice in the Ninth Symphony of quoting themes from the first three movements at the beginning of the final movement. As an additional color element, the third part begins with the well-known theme "Frère Jacques", sung by a double bass player. However, the composer changed the tone of the song from major to minor, thus giving the part a grotesque character and turning it into a funeral march.

Thursday evening, May 8th, 2025, will be an evocation of Gustav Mahler's unique universe. So we are waiting for you, from 21.00, on Radio România Muzical!

Photo credit: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) - Own work