Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)

Symphony No. 5
by Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler in 1907
Composed1901–1902 in Maiernigg
Published
Movements5
Premiere
Date18 October 1904 (1904-10-18)
LocationGürzenich Hall [de], Cologne
ConductorGustav Mahler
PerformersGürzenich Orchestra Cologne

The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler's holiday cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the trumpet solo that opens the work with a rhythmic motif similar to the opening of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, the horn solos in the third movement and the frequently performed Adagietto.

The musical canvas and emotional scope of the work, which lasts nearly 70 minutes, are huge. The symphony is sometimes described as being in the key of C minor since the first movement is in this key (the finale, however, is in D major).[1] Mahler objected to the label: "From the order of the movements (where the usual first movement now comes second) it is difficult to speak of a key for the 'whole Symphony', and to avoid misunderstandings the key should best be omitted."[2]

  1. ^ "Gustav Mahler", in New Grove, Macmillan, 1980
  2. ^ Letter to Peters Music Publishers dated July 23, 1904. Cited after: Preface to the New Edition of the Fifth Symphony by Reinhold Kubik, Vienna, Autumn 2001; English translation by Daniel Nazareth