The great Bohemian-born composer Gustav Mahler once said, "A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything." Over the course of its nearly 300-year life, the symphony has indeed embraced almost every trend to be found in Western concert music.

Humble Beginnings, Unmatched Achievement

The symphony evolved from the 17th-century Italian opera overture and the Baroque ripieno concerto. By the mid to late 18th century, the symphony became the single most important genre of orchestral music.

In 300 years - with backdrops ranging from the French Revolution to the Soviet Empire, the Enlightenment to the Roaring 20s - the symphony would arrive at where it stands today: one of the longest lived, and perhaps the most expressively inclusive, genres of instrumental music.