Symphony

Symphony No. 5

4 upcoming performances in New York

Mahler’s *Symphony No. 5* (1901–02) traces a hard-won arc from funeral march to affirmation, built in five movements that lean on sharp brass writing, prominent horn calls, and the chamber-like Adagietto for strings and harp. It entered New York’s musical bloodstream early in the 20th century as the city’s orchestras helped normalize Mahler in American concert life, and it remains a touchstone for how modern symphonic drama is paced. One can hear a composer testing how far intensity can be sustained without speech.