Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony will open the Accademia Filarmonica Romana’s chamber season on November 5 at Rome’s Teatro Argentina. The Solisti della Filarmonica will perform Klaus Simon’s chamber arrangement, conducted by Italian-Russian maestro Sieva Borzak, with soprano Désirée Giove as soloist.
The concert is the first of 11 scheduled through May. The programme will bring soloists and international ensembles to Rome, ranging from 17th-century repertoire to premieres. A special event is planned for December 20 at Teatro Valle, which has recently reopened.
The opening concert also marks a new project for the Solisti della Filarmonica, initiated by artistic director Domenico Turi. The ensemble’s origins date to 1993, when conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli brought together Italian musicians connected to the institution, with a particular focus on exploring the Second Viennese School. The 15 performers in this concert are musicians from recent generations who have played in the Filarmonica’s recent seasons and established international careers. Some are now members or principal players in leading orchestras, while others belong to prominent ensembles. They are set to reunite at the Rome institution over the next three years to perform chamber music.
Written between 1899 and 1900, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony differs from the monumental scale of his earlier works. Its more transparent orchestration and classical, folk-music and childhood influences shape a work that combines a luminous quality with ambiguity. Simon’s 2007 arrangement uses a smaller ensemble while preserving the original timbres and highlighting the score’s transparency.
Sources: ANSA Cultura.