11 Minutes in Heaven

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King

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The fourth movement (Adagietto) may be Mahler’s most famous composition and is the most frequently performed of his works. The British premiere of Symphony No. 5 came 36 years after that of the Adagietto, conducted by Henry Wood at a Proms concert in 1909.

It is said to represent Mahler’s love song to his wife Alma. According to a letter she wrote to Willem Mengelberg, the composer left a small poem:

“How much I love you, you my sun,
I cannot tell you that with words.
I can only lament to you my longing
and my love, my bliss!” – en.wikipedia.org

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Mahler: Symphony No. 5 – Adagietto  – Myung-Whun Chung – NHK Symphony Orchestra

Photo credit (front page): http://www.unsplash.com/@coopery

Photo credit: Mahler – Moritz Nähr [Public domain]