Mahler did not know he would not live past the age of 50 when he composed Symphony No. 9. Many have espoused that every bar is filled with a sense of foreboding and despair, but Mahler's dualism is ever-present. When he's happy, he's sad. When he's tragic, he's hopeful. We open the concert with Brinton Smith performing Elgar's Cello Concerto, the masterpiece which was Elgars new chapter after the end of World War I.

•  ELGAR | Cello Concerto – Sponsored by Joan Cleland

• MAHLER | Symphony No. 9