Gustav Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 2 „Auferstehung“

The two youth ensembles of the Landesmusikrat Rheinland-Pfalz e. V. – the LandesJugendOrchester and the LandesJugendChor – are jointly presenting an extraordinary concert event in collaboration with the choir of the Staatstheater Mainz and the Philharmonic State Orchestra Mainz as part of the 7th Symphony Concert. The performance will take place on April 11, 2026, at 8 PM in the Main Auditorium of the Staatstheater Mainz. The concert will last approximately 95 minutes; access begins 75 minutes before the event starts. Additionally, the concert will be recorded by SWR Kultur.

As soloists, Nadja Stefanoff (soprano) and Verena Tönjes (alto) will participate. The musical direction will be taken over by Gabriel Venzago. This project impressively continues the long-established and successful collaboration between the Landesmusikrat Rheinland-Pfalz and the Staatstheater Mainz.

The program combines the delicate Viennese sound tradition with monumental symphonic expressiveness. Three elegant, melodically influenced miniatures by Fritz Kreisler capture the characteristic charm of Viennese music culture: light-footed, graceful, and simultaneously imbued with lyrical sensitivity. These pieces, which the composer did not label as his own works for a long time, remain popular encores in the violin repertoire to this day.

The central focus of the evening is Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, a work of immense dimension and existential depth. In it, the composer poses fundamental questions about meaning, suffering, and human destiny. Having been created over several years, the symphony culminates in a grand finale, which unfolds a vision of hope and resurrection with choir and solo voices. After dramatic orchestral eruptions, the sound space opens up to an impressive, comforting perspective – a moving experience for both participants and the audience.

This concert thus promises a musical evening of extraordinary intensity and radiance, carried by great voices, an impressive sound body, and the inspiring collaboration of several significant institutions in the region.