Sir Mark Elder opens the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana's most powerful symphonic season with Mahler's 'The Song of the Earth'

• The musical director of Les Arts shares the podium with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniele Gatti, Philippe Jordan, Fabio Luisi and Gustavo Gimeno
• The programs include Mahler's 'Fifth', Bruckner's 'Eighth', the complete Brahms symphonies and Berlioz's 'The Childhood of Christ'.

Valencia (20.10.25). Sir Mark Elder inaugurates the most powerful symphonic season of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) this Thursday, October 23, at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and on Friday the 24th at the Auditori de Castelló.

The artistic director of Les Arts, Jesús Iglesias Noriega, together with the British maestro, who begins his term as musical director of the institution this season, presented the proposals of the OCV on the 20th anniversary of its constitution, with some of the most challenging works in the repertoire under the direction of the great names of the international circuit

In his first year as principal conductor, Sir Mark Elder shares the podium with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniele Gatti, Gustavo Gimeno, Philippe Jordan, Fabio Luisi, and Dima Slobodeniuk, who will perform with the OCV pieces by Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius, and Stravinsky.

The musical director of Les Arts is headlining two major programs in the 2025-2026 Season, which begins this week with two key works of the Central European symphonic repertoire: Mozart's grand 'Prague Symphony' and Mahler's monumental 'Das Lied von der Erde', with Sasha Cooke and David Butt Philipp as soloists.

For his second concert, in February 2026, Sir Mark Elder proposes 'L'enfance du Christ': Hector Berlioz's imposing oratorio for soloists, choir, orchestra and organ, in which the beauty of his music sublimates the moving story of the early life of Jesus of Nazareth, with the voices of mezzo Katie Lindsey and bass-baritones Gordon Bintner and William Thomas, together with the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana.

November 12th will be a date to mark for music lovers with the debut with the OCV of one of the great legends of conducting , Sir John Eliot Gardiner , an indisputable figure in early and baroque music who also stands out for his forays into the orbit of romanticism as he will demonstrate in a proposal with Sibelius' 'Fifth' and Dvořák's 'Sixth'.

After his triumphant Verdi 'Requiem' in 2021, Daniele Gatti , a leading figure in the Italian tradition, will return to Les Arts with another formidable challenge: conducting the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms with the OCV, which will be performed in two concerts on November 18 and 20 in Valencia and on November 19 and 21 in Castelló de la Plana.

Fabio Luisi 's return in December is another of the most anticipated events at 'Les Arts és Simfònic'. Following his colossal Strauss monograph, the Genoese maestro delves into the work of one of the great symphonists of the 20th century, Anton Bruckner, with the original version of the 'Eighth Symphony', one of the most challenging scores in the repertoire, which he will perform in Valencia (18) and Castellón de la Plana (19).

The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana begins 2026 with the highly anticipated visit of one of the most respected conductors and current principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera, Philippe Jordan , who will offer an exciting concert on January 3rd to celebrate the start of the new year at Les Arts with Mozart's vibrant 'Haffner Symphony' and Mahler's 'Fifth', a piece never before performed by the Les Arts ensemble.

The Russian maestro based in Finland, Dima Slobodeniouk, dedicates his first concert with the OCV to Jean Sibelius, performing his exuberant First Symphony and the elegiac "The Swan of Tuonela," which will then segue into Elgar's haunting Cello Concerto with Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández. The concert will take place on March 5th at Les Arts and on March 6th in Castelló de La Plana.

Javier Perianes and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana promise one of the highlights of the program in May after bringing the National Auditorium of Madrid to its feet with their complete Beethoven piano concertos, a feat they will now repeat in a double concert on May 14 and 15 in Valencia and on May 16 and 17 in Castelló de La Plana.

As the closing concert of the symphony season, Gustavo Gimeno will combine, on June 18 at the Auditori, Ravel's fascination with Spain in 'Rapsodie espagnole' with the folklore of Falla's 'Siete canciones populares españolas' (Seven Spanish Folk Songs), sung by Marianne Crebassa, on the 150th anniversary of the Spanish composer's birth. Gimeno will dedicate the second half of the evening to Stravinsky's 'The Firebird'.

Les Arts reminds everyone that tickets for its symphonic program can be purchased through its various sales channels: box offices, sales line 96 197 59 00 and its website .