Gustav Mahler - Adagietto
​for Chamber Ensemble

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) composed his 5th Symphony in 1901-2, mostly on his summer breaks from conducting at the Vienna State Opera. The fourth movement Adagietto is scored for strings and harp only, and has become one of Mahler's most well-known and popular works. During the composition of the symphony, Mahler met Alma Schindler, who after a short courtship became his wife. The Adagietto may have been composed as a declaration of love for Alma, although the evidence for this has been debated. It has regularly been performed and recorded separately, and achieved notably widespread renown for its use in the 1971 film Death in Venice. This arrangement is for a chamber ensemble of nine players, comprising eight string players with harp.

Instrumentation: violin 1, violin 2, viola 1, viola 2, cello 1, cello 2, double bass 1, double bass 2, harp (9 players)

Available to purchase from Aria Editions here

It has been recorded by Esther Yoo (violin) and members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on the album Love Symposium from Deutsche Grammophon