The latest instalment in Michael Tilson Thomas and San Francisco Symphony’s engaging Keeping Score series explores the life and works of Gustav Mahler, in two documentaries and two live performances.

In the year marking both the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death and the founding of the San Francisco Symphony, ‘Mahler - Origins and Legacy’ focuses on the enigmatic composer with two one-hour documentaries and two live performances.

“Gustav Mahler was a visionary musician”, says MTT. “In his compositions he made reference to many styles, building his huge symphonies from materials abstracted from songs, dances and marches from many cultures. His symphonies, or worlds, as he called them, represent the many ways that people make music and why they make music. In Keeping Score: Mahler, we walk in his footsteps, visit the places and sounds that influenced his life.”

'Keeping Score: Mahler' is designed to engage, educate and entertain viewers of all musical backgrounds, from classical music enthusiasts to those hearing Mahler’s music for the first time. With MTT and SFS firmly established among the leading interpreters of Mahler’s music, these programmes are a fitting culmination to their decade-long Mahler recording project.

Critical acclaim for the Keeping Score series:
“The images, interviews and research contained in each hour-long documentary had me absorbed throughout, whetting my appetite for each work’s complete performance … the Hi-Def video is stunning in its clarity, fully revealing the masterful editing, composition and camera movement that always fits the music” – BBC Music Magazine

Contents:
DVD 1:
1. Documentary Episode One – “Gustav Mahler: Origins”
2. Concert Programme One – Mahler Symphony No.1

DVD 2:
1. Documentary Episode Two – “Gustav Mahler: Legacy”
2. Concert Programme Two – A Mahler Journey