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The curse of the ninth symphony also affected Mahler. His Symphony No. 9 is the last he completed, and it was only premièred in Vienna after the composer’s death in 1911. In the decades that followed, this final work was heaped with symbolism relating to his death. However Mahler considered his incomplete Symphony No. 10, rather than the ninth, to be his swan song, and he had completed successful tours in the meantime. A denial of reality? No. After the death of his daughter and his diagnosis with heart disease, Mahler actually embraced reality in all its beauty in this extended symphony bursting with lust for life. The conductor, Kirill Petrenko, has already won audiences over with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and 7. Now it’s high time to tackle the finale of the Romantic age!