GÁL Symphony No. 4 (U.S. premiere)

WAGNER Die Walküre, Act I (arranged for chamber orchestra by Francis Griffin)

For tickets and further information visit https://mahlerfest.org/mf36/opera-and-more/

“I saw the world end.” Richard Wagner

Mahler saw Wagner conduct once, a performance of Lohengrin with the Vienna State Opera in 1876. At age 16, Mahler did not have the courage to approach Wagner despite seeing him backstage. Mahler adored the senior composer’s music, becoming a renowned Wagner conductor and programming Die Walküre numerous times throughout his career.

Austrian composer Hans Gál attended Mahler’s rehearsals in Vienna as a boy. He had a long and successful career; his second opera, Die heilige Ente (The Sacred Duck), was given it’s premiere by George Szell. In more recent times, Gál is all but forgotten. With the Nazi invasion of Mainz he was dismissed from his post and performance and publication of his works in Germany were prohibited. He fled to London but, in 1940 was eventually interned for five months as an “enemy alien.” He settled in Edinburgh where he taught at the University of Edinburgh from 1945 until retiring in 1960. In this role, he taught Thea Musgrave whose Phoenix Rising will be performed on Sunday.