Music, philosophy, and dramatic images combine to create an all-encompassing experience in this in-depth exploration of Gustav Mahler's stirring and questioning Third Symphony: How did we get here? What is our life's purpose? Does God exist? Why do people suffer? Engaging these questions, Mahler's Third is one of the largest and most ambitious symphonies ever composed. The emotional charge of this work steadily mounts, from the chaos of creation in the first movement, to "the summit, the highest level from which the world can be surveyed" in the last. It involves the audience in the drama of emerging consciousness, as it unfolds and develops from the world of rocks, plants, and animals "through all the stages of evolution, step by step," to its ultimate flowering in humankind's capacity for love. From the volcanoes of the South Pacific to the Alpine peaks and meadows where Mahler composed, dramatic images from the natural world give shape to the Third Symphony's evolutionary saga.

What the Universe Tells Me: Unraveling the Mysteries of Mahler's Third Symphony

“What is this life—and this death?” Gustav Mahler famously asked when composing his second symphony. Does consciousness “continue” on a higher cosmic level, he wondered, or is it “only an empty dream?” Narrated by renowned baritone Thomas Hampson, this film explores the musical, biographical, and philosophical background of the monumental work. Viewers are treated to beautifully produced historical reenactments as well as interviews with many of the world’s most respected Mahler scholars and biographers, including Henry-Louis de La Grange, Donald Mitchell, Morten Solvik, and others. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum and theologians Catherine Keller and Neil Gillman also add their insights. Woven throughout is a critically acclaimed performance of the symphony featuring members of the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of maestro Neeme Järvi.