The Hallé - Mahler’s World Embrace

Alexander Joel, a regular at the Royal Opera since 2013, as well as with major orchestras across Europe, grew up in London and in Vienna, and it is music from the Austro-Hungarian empire with which he marks his Hallé debut. Mahler’s First Symphony exemplifies his view that a symphony must embrace the world. It opens with a shimmering evocation of the spring dawn chorus and includes rustic dances, street bands and the funeral procession of a huntsman accompanied to his grave by forest animals. Also making his Hallé debut, the Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti plays Korngold’s lyrical concerto. It looks back to fin de siècle Vienna, draws on melodies from the composer’s famed Hollywood film scores and was dedicated to Mahler’s erstwhile wife, Alma.