Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony moves through stark contrasts – from the darkness of the opening funeral march in C sharp minor to the jubilant D major of the finale. The path between them is far from straightforward. Grief and violent energy, waltz rhythms and radiant outbursts follow one another in music that constantly seems to shift perspective.

At the heart of the symphony is the vast scherzo, where Mahler brings the waltz and the Ländler into contact with a more fragmented, modern sound world. Then everything changes. The famous Adagietto, for strings and harp alone, is a moment of stillness and intimacy. Suffused with love, the music evokes Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and forms a striking contrast to the conflicts heard earlier in the symphony.

Out of the stillness of the Adagietto grows a playful and energetic finale, in which Mahler draws together threads from earlier in the symphony. At last, the music bursts into jubilant D major. The Fifth Symphony can be heard as a long journey from darkness into light – but with Mahler, the path is never simple.