Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra November 6, 2010

It's a stretch to call any of Mahler's symphonies restrained, but after the massive Second and Third symphonies, the Fourth and the Fifth are much more subtle affairs. Despite its energetic outbursts, the Fifth is full of expressive moments. Its opening movement might be the funeral march, but it's the famous Adagietto that will forever be associated with funerals after its use in the film 'Death in Venice' and its performance under the baton of Leonard Bernstein at Robert Kennedy's burial mass. Wagner's 'Siegfried Idyll,' which opens the program, is the truly intimate work. Originally composed for a small orchestra, it was Wagner's birthday gift to his wife. The premiere took place at their villa with the musicians positioned in the stairwell.