Of Love, Death, and Beyond: Exploring Mahler's Resurrection Symphony

Of Love, Death, and Beyond: Exploring Mahler's Resurrection Symphony (2011) blends Documentary and Music elements. Top cast includes Thomas Hampson, Martha C. Nussbaum, and Neeme Järvi. Family dynamics play a central role in how the story evolves.

Actor: Thomas Hampson

“What is this life—and this death?” Gustav Mahler famously asked when composing his second symphony. Does consciousness “continue” on a higher cosmic level, he wondered, or is it “only an empty dream?” Narrated by renowned baritone Thomas Hampson, this film explores the musical, biographical, and philosophical background of the monumental work. Viewers are treated to beautifully produced historical reenactments as well as interviews with many of the world’s most respected Mahler scholars and biographers, including Henry-Louis de La Grange, Donald Mitchell, Morten Solvik, and others. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum and theologians Catherine Keller and Neil Gillman also add their insights. Woven throughout is a critically acclaimed performance of the symphony featuring members of the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of maestro Neeme Järvi.