Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Tragedy and rapture are the essence of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. The storm-tossed finale’s three titanic hammer blows presaged personal tragedies in Mahler’s life, including his own mortal illness. Superstitious, he removed the third blow. But the symphony overflows with life-affirming joys as well, from peaceful memories of mountain pastures—listen for the cowbells—to the ecstatic portrait of his wife, Alma, that fills the first movement.

The MET Orchestra

Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 is an elegant work with an abundance of beautiful melodies that also shows a fascination with all things Turkish, including a section where cellos and basses slap the wooden side of their bows on the strings to create an exotic percussive sound. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 has its own share of melodic splendor, particularly in the fourth-movement Adagietto—the gorgeous love letter he wrote to his wife, featuring strings and harp. The symphony is also dramatic with a powerful opening Funeral March and roof-raising jubilant finale.