Just a small handful of works are strong enough to dominate an entire concert program. Verdi's Requiem is one of them. Mahler's Symphony No.9 is another, and Umberto Clerici will stand at the helm of our orchestra when he conducts this life-affirming work. Mahler wrote his symphony in the solitude of a mountain cabin. He contemplated existential questions, and composed music about the richness of life before death. From its warm and pastoral beginnings, this turn-of-the-century work dances between turbulence and joy; grief and acceptance. Take the journey and together you'll venture towards the bittersweet conclusion of Mahler's memorable Ninth.