| Birtwistle, Sir Harrison (1934-2022) | Donum Simoni MMXVIII (A Gift for Simon 2018) | |
| Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911) | Symphony no. 2 in C minor "Resurrection" |
| Louise Alder | Soprano |
| Dame Sarah Connolly | Mezzo-soprano |
| CBSO Chorus | |
| London Symphony Chorus | |
| London Symphony Orchestra | |
| Sir Simon Rattle | Conductor |
There will be no interval
The end has come, and in the silence after the Last Trumpet, a solitary bird is the only sound heard on Earth. The ambition of Gustav Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony staggers the imagination – an emotional odyssey on a cosmic scale that embraces tenderness, rage, dark humour and – yes – the end of the world itself. Sir Simon Rattle was still a teenager when he conducted his first performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony, and it’s been a personal touchstone at every stage of his career. Now, as he prepares to step down as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, he pairs it with a short (but very personal) tribute from one of Britain’s most distinguished living composers.
£18–£72 (plus booking fee)
Broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 28 August