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Soprano Sophie Bevan joins the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth for Mahler’s 4th Symphony and the world premiere of a brand new piece written specially for them by Grace-Evangeline Mason. Setting poetry by Oscar Wilde, Sara Teasdale and the composer herself, THE HART is a 5-movement cycle exploring the mysterious power of the white hart in folklore.

Folklore was an important source of inspiration for Gustav Mahler, too, with much of his music steeped in the world of Das Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of German texts purporting to be folk poetry. The last movement of the Symphony No. 4 sets a poem describing a child’s vision of heaven; taken together with the preceding movements the symphony seems to paint a luminous musical picture of childhood innocence.

The concert opens with an orchestral depiction of a character about as far from innocent as is possible – Strauss’s vivid tone poem of the philandering Don Juan.

Recorded on 5th June 2025 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Presented by Penny Gore.

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Richard Strauss: Don Juan
Grace-Evangeline Mason: THE HART (world premiere)

INTERVAL

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major

Sophie Bevan (soprano)
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)

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Interval music:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arr. Josef Triebensee: Don Giovanni (Act 1, excerpts)
Les Musiciens du Louvre
Marc Minkowski (conductor)

Produced in collaboration with the Liverpool Philharmonic.

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