Mahler No. 6

The Devon Philharmonic Orchestra are playing Mahler's Symphony No. 6 at Exeter Cathedral on Friday 13 November, starting at 8pm. It's a big piece of music for a big space, and one of the more dramatic things on the local calendar this autumn.

Mahler wrote the symphony between 1903 and 1904, and it didn't get its first performance until 1906 in Essen. It's an epic four-movement work, and it's often called 'The Tragic' because of that final movement, which is famous for the sound of hammer blows cutting through the orchestra. If you've never heard it, that's the bit that sticks with you long after the night is over.

The orchestra bringing it to Exeter has a bit of local history behind it. They started as the Exeter Music Group back in 1967, then relaunched as the Devon Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. They've been a registered charity since 1997 and put on three major concerts each season, so this is one of their main nights of the year.

Tickets are £13 to £20, and £5 for under-16s, with the concert starting at 8pm at Exeter Cathedral on Friday 13 November.