VIDEO: NY Phil's Joseph Alessi Discusses the Tenor Horn Solo from Mahler's Symphony No. 7

Mahler, who grew up near a military barrack, would have been quite familiar with the sounds of many different brass instruments. The opening solo of his Symphony No. 7 is the only music Mahler ever scored for the tenor horn, which can refer to different instruments in different parts of the world.

Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi first performed the solo on tenor tuba in 1986 under Leonard Bernstein. In this performance from 2017 under then Music Director Alan Gilbert, Alessi performs the same solo on the English Baritone, which he believes provides a closer version of the sound Mahler was looking for.

Watch the video!