The second concert by Concerto Köln in this festival is an ode to the original sound environment of the late Romantic period. The programme will begin with Bizet’s Symphony in C Major, a glorious work written by the composer at the tender age of seventeen, followed by Dvorák’s enchanting Serenade for Strings, for a little variety and lightness. Next on the programme is an overture by Wagner. Bruckner always classified Mahler as one of the modernists, but Mahler himself considered himself to be a follower of Wagner in terms of style. The intimate nature of Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, for instance, shares many of the characteristics one would expect to fi nd in a Wagner lullaby. It is up to Werner Güra to escort us into this world of sound!