An online no-audience concert on the 29th is now being planned instead. Vänskä (who has already arrived in Seoul and is in quarantine) was originally scheduled to conduct Elgar (Enigma Variations), Hindemith (Weber Metamorphoses), Stravinsky (Symphonies of Wind Instruments) and Vaughan Williams (Tallis Fantasia). No doubt the change to Mahler 2 was considered more appropriate to these challenging times.
“Man lies in greatest need! / Man lies in greatest pain! […] The loving God will grant me a little light, / Which will light me into that eternal blissful life!” [From the Symphony’s fourth movement, Urlicht]
“Rise again, yes, rise again…” [From the Symphony’s conclusion]