From the almost suspended A of its opening to the final blaze of brass, Mahler’s First Symphony brings an entire world into being through distance, memory, song and sound. Nature awakens, the dance grows heavy, and triumph is earned only after the music has passed through irony and darkness. i Work Information Composer: Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) Title: Symphony No. 1 in D Major , GMW 11 Composition and revision: 1884–1888; revisions continued until 1910 Premiere: 20 November 1889, Vigadó Concert Hall, Budapest; Budapest Philharmonic Society, conducted by the composer, in the original five-movement form First performance of the four-movement form: 16 March 1896, Berlin, conducted by the composer Genre: Symphony for large orchestra Structure: Four movements Duration: Approx. 50–55 minutes Instrumentation: 4 flutes doubling piccolo, 4 oboes doubling cor anglais, 4 clarinets with doublings on clarinets in C and A, E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet, 3 ba...