Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Debussy La Mer
Mahler Symphony No. 1
On September 18, don’t miss Yannick Conducts Mahler & Debussy, the final installment of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2024 residency at the Mann. Under the direction of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, audiences will enjoy an evening of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Claude Debussy’s La Mer.
Mahler once wrote: “A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything,” and his First Symphony meets that ideal. Inspired by a 900-page novel chronicling the transformation of a passionate youth into a noble prince, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 is an epic musical journey, overflowing with images of nature, bursting with every emotion, and ending in triumph.
Creating music that audiences fell in love with, Claude Debussy insisted that music was not so much about theory or rules as pure pleasure, saying, “You have merely to listen. Pleasure is the law.” In La Mer, Debussy paints vivid scenes of the sea at dawn, the waves at play, and the rush of wind across the water, entrancing but dangerous. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has often spoken of his love for this classic; he has conducted La Mer with orchestras worldwide, including the London Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic.
This performance is part of the Mann’s Summer Series, so pack your favorite food and beverage, head to the Mann, and hear our Fabulous Philadelphians perform in our acoustically excellent TD Pavilion while being surrounded by lush greenery and stunning Philadelphia skyline views.