Mahler 5 by Kokkonen, Grime, H., Mahler, De (2023/2023), Director musical John Storgårds, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada

To hear a Mahler symphony live is to feel why it’s an experience unlike anything else in art, and Mahler 5 will have you captivated from the opening trumpet call to the final cry of triumph. At the heart of this epic musical odyssey is the transcendent, time-altering beauty of the “Adagietto”, arguably the most widely popular music Mahler ever wrote. Two exciting premières open the performances: Joonas Kokkonen’s reverent “Adagio religioso”, and Helen Grime’s Violin Concerto, featuring the fearless Canadian Leila Josefowicz.