Gustavo Gimeno conducts Mahler's Fourth

Spanish maestro Gustavo Gimeno, Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s music director, conducts Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, featuring soprano Anna Prohaska.

Mahler’s Fourth Symphony presents an uplifting depiction of the afterlife, showcasing a child’s vision of heaven as a realm filled with earthly delights and melodic tunes. This symphony is paired with a new composition by Betsy Jolas, which unveils subtle references to the classic Happy Birthday melody within its sparkling soundscape.

Program

• Rufus Wainwright: A Woman’s Face (Sonnet 20)
• Paradis: Overture to Der Schulkandidat
• Mozart: “Temerari! Sortite! … Come scoglio” from Così fan tutte, K. 588
• Haydn: Scena di Berenice, Hob. XXIVa:10
• Intermission
• Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major

This concert will be the occasion to present the Toronto Symphonic Orchestra tour 2026 in Spain.

Before the concert, Maestro Gimeno will receive the Encomienda of the Order of Civil Merit. This award recognizes the civic virtues of officials serving the State and the extraordinary contributions of both Spanish and foreign citizens for the benefit of the Nation.

Gustavo Gimeno

Gustavo Gimeno is the Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since the 2020/21 season and will continue through the 2029/30 season. He has been the Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg since the 2015/16 season but will step down at the end of the 2024/25 season, marking his tenth year with the orchestra. Additionally, he is the Music Director Designate of Teatro Real, where he will begin his role in the 2025/26 season.

During the 2024/25 season, Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra continue their exploration of major symphonic works, including Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Gimeno will share the stage with the 2024/25 TSO Spotlight Artists: Jan Lisiecki and soprano Anna Prohaska, along with Yuja Wang, Renaud Capuçon, Víkingur Ólafsson, Behzod Abduraimov, and Beatrice Rana.

In Gimeno’s final year as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the programs include Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 3, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, and a new percussion concerto by Sauli Zinovjev featuring Vivi Vassileva. International touring has been a significant aspect of Gimeno’s commitment to the orchestra over the past nine years. In 2024/25, he will tour with the orchestra to Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, and Vienna. Throughout his tenure, Gimeno and the orchestra have performed in many of Europe, South Korea, and South America’s most prestigious concert halls. Notable soloists who have shared the stage with Gimeno include Daniel Barenboim, Gautier Capuçon, Anja Harteros, Leonidas Kavakos, Bryn Terfel, and Martin Grubinger. A highlight has been the performances of the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos with Krystian Zimerman.

As the Music Director Designate of Teatro Real, Gimeno conducts a new production of Eugene Onegin this season. He also leads concerts with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, celebrating their 120th anniversary.

He is a highly sought-after symphonic guest conductor worldwide. His appearances for the 2024/25 season include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Münchner Philharmoniker. Past highlights feature the Berliner Philharmoniker, Münchner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. As an opera conductor, he is invited to lead major productions at prestigious venues such as Liceu Opera Barcelona, Opernhaus Zürich, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, and Teatro Real in Madrid.

Building on his relationship with Harmonia Mundi, Gimeno and TSO released their first album together in February 2024, featuring Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie. This album received critical acclaim. Other repertoire recorded for the label includes Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, and Stravinsky’s ballets The Firebird and Apollon musagète with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

Gimeno and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg have an extensive discography with Pentatone. Their releases include an album by Henri Dutilleux featuring cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, a monograph on Francisco Coll that includes the Violin Concerto with Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1. They also have Ravel’s complete ballet music for Daphnis et Chloé, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle, and César Franck’s Symphony in D minor.