Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (Digital-only)

Album information

Symphony No. 6 in A minor (1903–04) stands as a tragic case in point. Outwardly the most ‘Classical’ work in the cycle, with its four movements and a repeated exposition in the first, it is also an act of disavowal – if not of complete destruction. A nefarious spirit runs through the militaristic first movement and Scherzo, while the Finale’s hammer blows drive the point home with devastating force. Only the Andante offers brief solace, its jangling cowbells and aching melodies recalling Beethoven’s bucolic world as a distant ideal. Yet this E flat major slow movement lies at a tritonal remove from the Symphony’s prevailing tonality, offering no true resolution. There will be no thanksgiving after the storm here—only a profoundly unsettling vision that lingers long after the final note.

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 is available as a digital-only release on our website and all major digital platforms. For a physical format, the recording is included in the Mahler: Symphonies 1–9 box set.