A major milestone: Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker present their complete Mahler recording, Mahler: The Symphonies
The recording of all ten symphonies will be released digitally and as a 12-CD box set on 23 October 2026
Every performance was recorded live between 2018 and 2026
Featuring leading soloists and three choral ensembles in Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 8
Listen here to the Andante moderato from Mahler’s Symphony No. 6
“Gustav Mahler’s music is part of the Wiener Philharmoniker’s DNA.”
- Prof. Daniel Froschauer, Chairman of the Wiener Philharmoniker.
Deutsche Grammophon will release the 12-CD box set Mahler: The Symphonies on 23 October 2026, featuring the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Andris Nelsons. The edition brings together all ten of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies; every performance was recorded live between 2018 and 2026. With this release, the eight-year performance and recording project shared by orchestra and conductor reaches its triumphant conclusion. The combination of Nelsons’ deeply committed approach to this repertoire and the Wiener Philharmoniker’s fabled sound and history of interpreting Mahler’s music promises to make this one of the most significant Mahler projects of our time. Ahead of the box set, the Andante moderato from Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 will be released as a single on 11 September 2026, followed by “Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden” from Symphony No. 3 on 2 October.
The cycle draws directly on the Wiener Philharmoniker’s close, longstanding artistic partnership with Gustav Mahler, the Austrian composer and former director of the Vienna Court Opera. The orchestra gave the world premieres of some of his works and still performs from historical musical materials dating from his time. Nelsons and the orchestra have worked closely together for 15 years and have already recorded a Beethoven cycle for Deutsche Grammophon.
The recordings feature a distinguished ensemble of soloists: sopranos Lucy Crowe, Ying Fang, Christiane Karg, Sarah Wegener and Jacquelyn Wagner; mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova; altos Wiebke Lehmkuhl and Tamara Mumford; tenor Benjamin Bruns; baritone Michael Nagy; and bass Tareq Nazmi. The choral parts in Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 8 are shared by the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and Wiener Sängerknaben.
“We are thrilled to release our complete symphonic cycle of Mahler’s music with Deutsche Grammophon. The Vienna Philharmonic has a unique relationship with Mahler, and the orchestra’s famous sound encompasses the full palette of colours he uses to express his doubt and anxiety about the world, but also his joy and profound love of humanity. Mahler’s music is truly universal, yet at the same time it can form an intensely intimate and personal connection with each listener. There is something almost mystical in that encounter: a connection that reaches across time and place and speaks directly to the soul. The tensions and contrasts at the heart of Mahler’s musical imagination produce some of the most heartbreaking, but also the most euphoric moments ever composed. It is a great privilege to explore these extraordinary heights and depths with the remarkable musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic.” – Andris Nelsons.
The box set was preceded by Symphony No. 5, recorded at the 2022 Salzburg Festival and released digitally and as a 2-LP edition on 1 May 2026, which received widespread critical acclaim. The 11 May 2026 performance of the Eighth was streamed live on STAGE+ and completed an audiovisual Mahler cycle filmed in Vienna and Salzburg. The concerts in the audiovisual cycle remain available to stream on STAGE+.
October 2026
