Gustav Mahler was not yet thirty years old when he mounted the podium to conduct his 'Symphonic Poem' ('Sinfonische Dichtung') in the large hall of the Redoute (Vigadó) in Budapest on 20 November 1889. In this album, François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles have chosen to present Mahler's 'First Symphony' in its second version, that of Hamburg/Weimar (1893-94) - a unique opportunity to hear the symphonic poem Titan. By allowing us to follow the genesis of this first large scale work, 'Titan' opens the doors of Mahler's artistic workshop at a crucial moment in the creative process: the transition from the youthful effort of 1889 to the 'Symphony in D Major' of 1896, which established Mahler as one of the foremost symphonists of the modern era.
Les Siècles is a French philharmonic orchestra founded in 2003 by François-Xavier Roth, whose ambition is to put works from the 17th to today into perspective. The musicians of this orchestra play each repertoire on the appropriate historical instruments. Les Siècles perform regularly in Paris (Opéra Comique, Salle Pleyel, Théâtre du Châtelet, Philharmonie de Paris), in La Côte-Saint-André (Aisne department), in Aix-en-Provence, Metz, Caen, Nîmes, Royaumont and international stages, Amsterdam (Royal Concertgebouw), London (BBC Proms), Bremen, Brussels (Klara Festival), Wiesbaden, Luxembourg, Cologne, Tokyo, Essen.