“The Fifth is a cursed work. Nobody catches it!” … Gustav Mahler summed up after its premiere. Nevertheless, he composed the Adagietto, the most beautiful declaration of love in music history. His beloved Alma “captured” the musical love letter dedicated to her very well. And married him. In his Fifth, Mahler turned moments of human emotion into music: Alongside march music motifs and sounds of nature, it reflects profoundly human emotions: deep loneliness, the struggle for consolation, a longing and hope between nightmares and dreams of pleasure and an ending in boundless jubilation. These “musical retellings” represented a stylistic turning point. “For me, symphony means building a world with all the available technology.” George Gershwin was also a seeker: his works combine the diversity of American music and thus capture the American attitude to life – from jazzy solos to powerful orchestral dynamics. From blues to ragtime, then back to elements of classical music. With this crossover, he created a new American musical language – a musical revelation of freedom and joie de vivre. Mahler and Gershwin, musical pioneers and brothers in spirit, give each other the honor in a concert: overcoming ethical and cultural barriers, they brought together what belongs together – especially people.