Return to Silence

Farewell

Church
Music shaped by the sacred tradition reflects Mahler's ongoing search for spiritual transcendence through art.
"O believe, my heart, O believe"
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VIDEO:MTT on the end of Mahler's Ninth Symphony

At the end of his Ninth Symphony, Mahler achieves a perfect sense of stillness. Rather than ending with triumphant trumpets and drums, he dissolves back into the silence with which he began his First Symphony.

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VIDEO:SFS principal trombone Tim Higgins on Mahler's music
  • This final stillness was characterized by Bruno Walter as "He peacefully bids farewell to the world."