MahlerFest 38

MahlerFest 38 is a celebration of defiance, protest, resistance, and remembrance through music. This year’s festival is centered around Mahler’s Sixth Symphony—a work that embodies the struggle against inevitable fate with courage and determination. From its thunderous hammer blows to its soaring themes, the symphony is a powerful tribute to those who fight against all odds, whether on the battlefield, in moments of personal adversity, or through acts of quiet defiance. The festival’s lineup explores this theme across a range of musical expressions, from Viktor Ullmann’s darkly satirical opera The Emperor of Atlantis, written in the Theresienstadt internment camp, to Erwin Schulhoff’s String Sextet, infused with the energy of protest and the aftermath of war. Through these works, MahlerFest 38 offers a reflection on art’s ability to inspire, commemorate, and push back against despair.

Opening Night: Death Goes on Strike

Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 PM

Mountain View United Methodist Church

https://mahlerfest.org/event/death-takes-a-vacation/

ULLMANN | Der Kaiser von Atlantis oder Die Tod-Verweigerung

 

Songs of Protest and Resistance

Thursday, May 15, 3 PM

Canyon Theater at the Boulder Public Library

https://mahlerfest.org/event/protest-and-defiance/

 

MAHLER | “Revelge” – Reveille (July 1899)

SAWYERS | Songs of Loss and Regret

MAHLER | “Der Tamboursg’sell” – The Drummer Boy (August 1901)

MAHLER | “Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen” – Where the Fair Trumpets Sound

SCHUBERT | Kriegers Ahnung – Warrior’s Foreboding

SHOSTAKOVICH | “Réponse des Cosaques Zaporogues au Sultan de Constantinople” from Symphony No. 14 – Response of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Sultan of Constantinople

MAHLER | “Lob des hohen Verstandes” – Praise of Lofty Intellect (June 1896)

 

Chamber Music: Determination & Defiance

Friday, May 16, 7 PM

Roots Music Project

https://mahlerfest.org/event/determination-defiance/

 

SHOSTAKOVICH | String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108

BLOCH | Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello
WALKER | Raise the Roof!
McKEE | Escape

 

Rhythm, Roots, & Resonance

Friday, May 16, 9 PM

Roots Music Project

https://mahlerfest.org/event/rhythm-roots-resonance/

 

MahlerFest 38 Symposium

Saturday, May 17, 10 AM – 3 PM

Roots Music Project

https://mahlerfest.org/event/mf38-symposium/

 

Celebrating Peace

Saturday, May 17, 7:30 PM

Macky Auditorium

https://mahlerfest.org/event/celebrating-peace/

 

PRITCHARD | Seven Halts on the Somme, Concerto for Trumpet and Strings

MAHLER | Totenfeier

KORNGOLD | Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40

Resistance

Sunday, May 18, 3:30 PM

Macky Auditorium

https://mahlerfest.org/event/resistance/

 

MARTINU | Memorial to Lidice

STILL | Dismal Swamp

MAHLER | Symphony No. 6 in A-minor