Search - Ovid Alexis Rhapsody Band :: Under Your Skin

This symphony was one of Otto Klemperer's signature pieces. He did it everywhere, including New York and Amsterdam, and his interpretation will come as a surprise to many who regard him as the acme of the ponderous old German conductor. His tempos are, on the whole, rather swift, particularly in the first movement, which has real urgency. And although he reportedly loathed sentimentality of any kind, he directs the finale to a genuinely cosmic, spiritual apotheosis. It seems that much like Mahler himself, Klemperer was a seeker after God (he converted to Catholicism early in his career, returning to his Jewish faith at the end of his life), and like Mahler, he seemed to find in this symphony at least some of the answers posed by his questing spirit. Maybe you will too. --David Hurwitz