The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will showcase Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on July 19.

Guest conductor Lawrence Renes, the chief conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera, will lead the orchestra, which held a “Mahler series” of concerts during the 2010-2011 season.

The Mahler concerts were a huge hit among classical music lovers in Korea and the SPO and its music director Chung Myung-whun even released a live recording of their performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 “Titan” in 2011.

Symphony No. 4 in G Major by Gustav Mahler was written between 1899 and 1900. It incorporates the song “Das Himmlische Leben,” which was originally written in 1892.

Since the song talks about a child’s vision of heaven, the symphony exudes a very bright and cheerful mood, unlike other Mahler symphonies that use loud, heavy brass.

The program for July 19 includes Rossini’s “Semiramide Overture” and Ravel’s “Sheherazade.”

During the night, Grammy award-winning operatic soprano Ana Maria Martinez will be perform the fourth movement “Sehr Behaglich (Very Comfortably)” of Mahler Symphony No. 4 and “Sheherazade.”

Meanwhile, SPO will continue with their exploration of Mahler, performing Mahler Symphony No. 9 under the baton of its music director Chung on Aug. 29.

Tickets for the concert are available at www.seoulphil.or.kr and prices range from 10,000 won to 60,000 won. For more information, call 1588-1210.

By Suh Hye-rim (sheren6735@heraldcorp.com)