Mahler Symphony No. 1

Setting out on his own great symphonic odyssey, Gustav Mahler painted the silent stillness of first light in an eternal natural setting. Distant birdcalls and trumpets stir the air, and the wanderer is underway. The journey encompasses the whole world: tragic funeral marches, traditional dances laced with bitterness and at last, a blazing finale unlike any before it. Mahler was an inspiration to Benjamin Britten, whose rollicking Piano Concerto is full of vivid rhythm, color and irony. It’s a virtuosic tour de force for Benjamin Grosvenor, a pianist at the very height of his musical powers.