Brucknerfest Linz 2026. Revolution Mahler! Gustav Mahler encountered mortality early: six of his siblings died in childhood. He composed the Kindertotenlieder to texts by Friedrich Rückert, who had written them after two of his own children passed away. Mahler also addressed farewell in his 9th Symphony – the last composition he completed: "O youth! Gone! O love! Scattered! [...] Farewell! Farewell!", he noted in the score. Philipp von Steinaecker and singer Fleur Barron perform this moving program with a unique ensemble: the Mahler Academy Orchestra consists of members from leading European orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as musicians from the Gustav Mahler Academy founded by Claudio Abbado. The music is performed on period instruments, meticulously reconstructed to recreate the sound of the Vienna Philharmonic around 1900. The revolutionary result is a completely new Mahler for modern ears – full of colour, warmth, and existential intensity.