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Gustav Mahler once said, "The symphony is a world; it must contain everything." For the famous composer, that meant writing symphonic music with the dramatic punch and poignancy of opera.

Mahler's grand-scale "Resurrection" Symphony marked the real beginning of his career as a composer. It's the work with which he answered the metaphysical challenge of Beethoven's Ninth, with a turbulent beginning and a triumphant conclusion.

Late in his career, Mozart explored feelings of extraordinary emotional agitation in his symphonies. Ted Libbey recommends recordings of these works that balance power and passion, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.

Accordionist William Schimmel creates a daring yet touching six-minute distillation of Mahler's mighty Ninth, with detours for tango and trumpet solos by Wynton Marsalis.

A century ago, Gustav Mahler complained that few people understood his work. Today, it's seen as a masterpiece. Marin Alsop, who most recently conducted it in November, says it's an overwhelming experience.

After he was publicly denounced, Shostakovich rebounded with the compelling and calculated Symphony No. 5. The music supplied a soundtrack for the Soviet people and satisfied the apparatchiks.

It may have been written in 1830, but Berlioz's groundbreaking music provides the soundtrack to some wild nights — complete with dancing, drugs, an execution and a rowdy party of witches. The symphony's unusual effects and instruments tell the story of a wild-eyed musician in love.

Celebrate the orchestra's centennial with recordings old and new.

Watch a thrilling and masterful performance for the Verdi bicentennial: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Riccardo Muti, performing in one of the composer's very greatest works, the furious and glorious Requiem.

An action thriller of a symphony, Mahler's First is piled high with ambition, self-reflection and fear. Conductor Marin Alsop shares her approach to Mahler's multilayered music.