Symphony No. 4 
 

Now I see clearly why you so often

Flashed such dark flames at me.

– O eyes! – To compress, as it were, all your power

Into a single glance.

... … … … …

       Look at us well, for soon we shall be far from you!

                What now are merely eyes to you,

In nights to come shall be merely stars.

Songs on the Death of Children by Friedrich Rückert (translated into English by Richard Stokes)

 

Each concert announcement by Teodor Currentzis stirs high expectations and waves of anticipation as the charismatic conductor’s performances guarantee profound artistic experiences for the audiences of music lovers worldwide. Indeed, those who filled the Odeon Herodes of Atticus in the summer of 2023 for Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony, conducted by Teodor Currentzis and performed by Utopia, witnessed a concert that remains indelibly etched in their memory. After all, this is not the first time that the profuse musical personality of Currentzis has engaged with the emblematic Austrian composer and “fellow” conductor. However, this evening will involve something unprecedented. Where else could one have the unique opportunity to attest to the grandeur of the Mahlerian oeuvre—one that challenges the listener’s intellectual and emotional cosmos through its existential reflections and metaphysical agonies—while immersed in that particular emotional atmosphere that the otherworldly landscape of Epidaurus evokes? Moreover, when the musicians in the theatre’s cavea are guided by the baton of Currentzis, this can only guarantee a thrilling result—truly “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude,” as Aristotle himself epitomised.

In a unique concert at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the multi-awarded Greek conductor will lead Utopia, the independent orchestra he founded in 2022, in Mahler’s Songs on the Death of Children (Kindertotenlieder) and Symphony No. 4. 

The evening’s first part features the heart-wrenching song cycle Songs on the Death of Children (Kindertotenlieder), which Mahler first presented in 1905, based on five poems by Friedrich Rückert. Performed by mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux, it is a work dominated by the ineffable grief for loss and absence—one could say eerily foreshadowing the tragedy that would strike Mahler himself a few years later with the death of his first daughter. It is only in the final music measures that the audience shall attain consolation; as the notes fade, the listeners may lift their gaze from the tiers of the ancient theatre toward the summer sky of Argolis and embrace a warm wave of relief. 

The concert progresses with the last of Mahler’s so-called Wunderhorn symphonies, completed in 1900. Following a rather restless and enigmatic first movement, the second movement, with Death leading the dance with his violin, turns decisively macabre in tone. The third movement, majestic and prayer-like, soars with universal emotion. It is the finale, however, that bequeaths the grandest surprise of all: a plain nursery rhyme becomes the vessel that sails us to the company of angels. “No music on earth can ever compare with ours,” sings the remarkable Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann, her pure timbre once again guiding our gaze to the heavens. 

Thanasis Apostolopoulos

 

We extend our gratitude to the Athens State Orchestra and Amalia Papadopoulou-Symeonidou for granting permission to use the Greek translation of the Songs on the Death of Children (Kindertotenlieder) lyrics.

 

Extracts from The Book of Lieder. English translation © Richard Stokes, 2005. Reused by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd.

 

Lead Donor of the Epidaurus Anniversary Programme 

Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)

 

 

VIP ZONE €75/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €60

ZONE A €65/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €52/ ZONE B €55/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €44

UPPER TIER €40, €30, €20

STUDENTS/ 65+/ ARTISTS’ UNIONS/ MULTI-CHILD FAMILIES/ EUR. YOUTH CARD €24, €16/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €32, €24, €16

UNEMPLOYED/ ART STUDENTS €5

 

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