Symphony of Challenge

Performers:

• Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
• Nataliia Ponomarchuk, conductor

Program:

• Benjamin Britten. Sinfonia da Requiem
• Gustav Mahler. Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor

On March 29, the Lviv Philharmonic will host a unique event: the Ukrainian premiere of Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece, alongside a performance of Gustav Mahler’s legendary Fifth Symphony.

In 1940, the Japanese government commissioned Britten to write celebratory music for the 2600th anniversary of Emperor Hirohito’s dynasty. The choice was, to put it mildly, unusual: Britten was a committed pacifist who had fled to the United States to escape war in Europe, and he could hardly have endorsed Japanese aggression. Yet he accepted the commission.

Instead of a festive ode, the Japanese received Sinfonia da Requiem — a score imbued with a sense of impending catastrophe. The Japanese embassy complained about its “excessive melancholy” and deemed it unsuitable for celebration. Britten replied that he “had no time for a festive composition,” but kept the fee — which he used to buy his first car, an old Ford.

In Ukraine, this work will be performed for the first time. It is a requiem without words. Its three movements bear the titles of the Latin Mass: Lacrymosa, Dies irae, and Requiem aeternam.

Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony represents the midpoint of his creative journey — his first purely instrumental symphony after years of experimentation with the human voice. He composed it between 1901 and 1902. In November, while working on its movements, Mahler met Alma Schindler, and by December, he had proposed to her. The symphony’s trajectory mirrors these personal changes: from the somber procession of the funeral march at the beginning to the dazzling triumph of the finale.

At the heart of the work is the famous Adagietto. Popular culture, particularly the film Death in Venice, has conditioned listeners to hear sorrow in it. However, Mahler’s friend and conductor Willem Mengelberg insisted that it is a musical declaration of love for Alma. There are no brass or percussion — only strings and harp. It is the most intimate page Mahler ever wrote.

We look forward to welcoming you to an evening where two musical trajectories guide us from war to love.