Mahler's Symphony No. 4

In our final concert of the season at Amare, our upcoming chief conductor Jun Märkl will make sure we finish the season in spectacular fashion. Together with the Residentie Orkest, he will perform Mahler's heavenly Symphony No. 4. This piece explores innocence, the supernatural and the idyllic, with a particular emphasis on the everyday and the playful. The finale, sung by soprano Elizabeth Watts, evokes a serene image of the afterlife. One of the most beloved symphonies in music history, it explores Mahler's fascination with childlike perception. We'll kick off the evening with Bartók and top cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, in his final concert as our artist in residence.

As we bid farewell to the season, our wonderful artist in residence Jean-Guihen Queyras will take the stage to perform one of his own favourite pieces, Béla Bartók's Alt Violin Concerto, adapted for cello by Queyras himself. Bartók, an innovative and versatile composer, is still celebrated for his immense originality, blending folk music, a unique classical style, dissonance, unconventional harmonies and a passion for technique. It was one of the composer's last pieces. When we previously played this adapted version by Queyras in 2022, the Dutch newspaper Trouw wrote about it: "Virtuosic and biting sounds, performed with great elan."