10 Years of Mahler: How Conductor Jin Sol is Revolutionizing Classical Music in Asia

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“Ten years ago I put together a private orchestra and announced I would perform Mahler’s symphonies. People warned me off — the pieces are difficult and expensive. It may have been the recklessness of my twenties, but taking on Mahler has made me grow,” conductor and artistic director Jin Sol said in a recent interview with Seoul Economic Daily.

Since its founding in 2016, the private orchestra Mahlerian has presented a Mahler symphony every year. On the 30th, the ensemble will present its ninth program: Symphony No. 8, the Symphony of a Thousand, at the Seoul Arts Center.

This year, orchestras across the country have staged competing Mahler programs in what critics have dubbed a “Mahler showdown.” Jin’s effort stands out. It is exceptionally rare for a privately run orchestra led by a conductor in her 30s to be on the verge of completing the entire Mahler cycle. If Jin finishes with Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, in October, she will be the youngest conductor in Asia — and the youngest female conductor worldwide — to complete Mahler’s complete symphonies.

Jin recalled the skepticism she faced in the conservative classical community when a young conductor tried to recruit musicians for Mahler. “There was a dismissive atmosphere,” she said. “But by putting on concerts year after year, our musicians deepened their study and we grew stronger.”

The performances have never been easy, but this year’s effort carries special significance. Among Mahler’s ten symphonies, No. 8 is the most massive in scale, both in forces and in musical demands. At its 1910 premiere more than 1,000 performers took the stage, earning it the nickname the Symphony of a Thousand. This time, a roughly 100-piece orchestra will join four choirs — the National Chorus, Bucheon City Choir, Winner Opera Chorus, and Gimpo City Children’s Choir — and eight soloists: sopranos Lee Yoon-jung, Kim Su-jeong, and Jang Hye-ji; altos Kim Se-rin and Jung Su-yeon; tenor Park Seung-ju; baritone Lee Seung-wang; and bass Jeon Tae-hyun. With about 400 people involved, the company even rented a large church for rehearsals.

Critics regard the Symphony of a Thousand as a concentrated expression of Mahler’s philosophy and art. The first part incorporates the ninth-century Latin hymn “Veni, Creator Spiritus,” while the second part sets the final scene of Goethe’s Faust. Jin says the piece revealed a profoundly human side of Mahler to her. “At first the music summons the divine almost like a ritual, but then it turns inward to humanity. Mahler’s philosophy — that imperfect humans should not give up but strive to the end — comes through clearly. The work contains anxiety, anguish, and consolation. Mahler himself was so pleased with it that he considered it a gift to future generations,” she said.

Jin said the project has offered her deep comfort as well. She admitted that planning and mounting the concerts could be exhausting and at times made her wonder whether she could continue. Still, she smiled and added, “Creating these performances with musicians who love Mahler felt like putting Mahler’s message into practice.” Her dedication paid off: the concert sold out.

As Jin prepares to finish the ten-year journey with Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, in October, she hopes for a particular connection with audiences. “I hope modern listeners living through turbulent times can find a link to Mahler — someone who made music from the same anxieties a century ago,” she said.