As with DAS LIED VON DER ERDE, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) did not live to see his SYMPHONY NO. 9 in D Major performed. Diagnosed with a heart condition in the wake of his oldest daughter�s death from diphtheria, he wrote the symphony in 1908 and 1909. Consequently, some critics interpreted it as the composer�s personal farewell at its premiere by the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Bruno Walter, on June 26, 1912. The first movement, despite its remarkable cohesion, lasts twenty-five minutes. Alban Berg described it as "the greatest Mahler ever composed." Following the two inner movements, a l�ndler and a burleske, the transcendent music of the finale seems to leave in its wake the world depicted so richly throughout his symphonic �uvre. Instrumentation: 4+Picc.4 (4th d. EH).3+ECl,BCl.4+CBsn: 4.3.3.1: 2Timp.Perc(4-5): 2 Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).