English Symphony Orchestra: Strauss & Mahler
Tuesday 2 December 2025
Cheltenham Town Hall presents an extraordinary evening of late Romantic masterpieces in chamber versions that highlight their intimacy and emotional power.
The programme opens with Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs (arranged by James Ledger), performed by soprano April Fredrick. Written in the aftermath of the Second World War, these poignant songs are among the most moving farewells in music, offering not despair but gratitude for life, love, and the beauty of the natural world.
The concert continues with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.9 in the chamber version by Klaus Simon. Mahler’s final completed symphony confronts grief and resignation following the tragic loss of his daughter, ultimately finding peace in a work suffused with both heartbreak and transcendent love.
The evening will be conducted by Kenneth Woods, guiding audiences through two of the greatest musical meditations on life’s fragility and enduring beauty.
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