MahlerFest rises again, celebrating the composer's powerful Second Symphony

May 11—Austrian composer Gustav Mahler rose to fame in the late 19th century after writing his sweeping and emotional nine symphonies.

Though he visited America several times, he never made it farther west than Cleveland, Ohio.

One would assume that the world's longest-running musical festival celebrating Mahler's considerable legacy would be in modern-day Czech Republic, or perhaps Vienna, where Mahler spent a large chunk of his adult life. Or even New York, where he debuted his works at Carnegie Hall.

However, the world's longest-running Mahler-centric musical festival takes place right here in Boulder, with MahlerFest.

Mahlerfest XXXVI (36 for those of us who are numeral-dense) returns to Boulder on Wednesday and runs through May 21. For five consecutive days, a number of renowned classical musicians and singers from all over the world will gather locally to perform work both written by and inspired by the romantic Austro-Bohemian composer.

The festival began in 1987 by former Maestro Robert Olson. Olson — who was also a professor at University of Colorado Boulder, had studied in Vienna and was a big fan of Mahler's music — felt that at that point in time, there weren't enough opportunities for musicians to play Mahler's music and have listeners hear it. Thus, MahlerFest was born.

"Mahler was a composer who was deeply connected to and inspired by the natural world, and his music has all sorts of themes about our relationship with nature — particularly, the mountains of Austria, Vienna and Italy," said Kenneth Woods, a decorated composer and current artistic director of MahlerFest.

Woods agreed with Olson's view: What better place in the United States than here in the Rocky Mountain region to celebrate this music?

The festival, this year titled "Rise Again" — the choir triumphantly sings in Mahler's epic Second Symphony — kicks off on Wednesday with a series of performances at Mountain View United Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place, Boulder, including a performance of Act I of Richard Wagner's drama "Die Walküre" and "String Sextet" by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, among others.

The denouement of the weekend will take place on May 21 at CU Boulder's Macky Auditorium and will feature performances of Thea Musgrave's "Phoenix Rising" and Mahler's Second Symphony, presented by Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra, mezzo-soprano Stacey Rishoi, of Kentucky, London-based soprano April Fredrick and the Boulder Concert Chorale.

"All of the Mahler symphonies are huge, ambitious, passionate and powerful pieces, but the second is probably the most emotional and uplifting thing that he ever wrote," Woods said.

MahlerFest was first set to feature the Second Symphony in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans for the festival.

"We've waited a long time and it's going to be a big milestone for us after all of the setbacks, uncertainty and challenges of the past few years," Woods said.

For featured soloist Fredrick, Mahler is more than just a composer — he's an inspiration.

"I have never encountered any other composer with the precise gift of emotional connection and catharsis that Mahler possesses, of somehow capturing what living feels like, the ups and downs of life in this world as a passionate, creative being," Fredrick said.

Fredrick, a world-renowned singer who holds degrees from Northwestern College and the Royal Academy of Music, will travel from the U.K. to bring her musical prowess to Boulder.

Though Fredrick was also let down by the cancellation of MahlerFest in 2020, she is excited to finally perform "Symphony No. 2" in 2023.

"To return to a program which was one of the earliest casualties of the pandemic for me is a great joy," Fredrick said, "green shoots of all sorts springing from the ashes, a theme I think we can all identify with right now."

While the Festival began as an ode to Mahler and his influence, Woods wants to stray away from the notion that the festival is only about the late composer. In addition to the performances, the festival includes a symposium, musical workshops, masterclasses and even an environmental service project.

"We've really put the emphasis not just on quality, but on relevance for the community," Woods said. "We want people to feel like this isn't just a festival for Mahler fanatics — but rather a Mahler festival for the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and for people from all over the United States who want the experience of a sort of 'Disneyland for the mind' for a couple of days."

For a full calender of Mahlerfest events and to purchase tickets, visit mahlerfest.org.