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In 1980, the 24-year-old conductor Simon Rattle and the 60-year-old City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra embarked on what was to be an astonishingly successful 18-year journey, turning Rattle into a household name and the CBSO into a world-class orchestra.

It had been a risky choice to appoint the young, ambitious Rattle. The orchestra was initially looking for a more experienced maestro to replace Louis Fr茅maux, who had already raised the CBSO's profile and standards. A cartoon of Rattle conducting with a baby鈥檚 rattle appeared in the Birmingham Post. But still, there was a buzz: the decision felt dangerously exciting and Rattle had big plans for the orchestra.

He began to expand the repertoire, forwards AND backwards through time: Henze and Haydn, Knussen and Donizetti, Murail and Mozart. The audiences increased and the number of concerts grew, along with demands for more rehearsal time. And in 1991, the CBSO moved into the superb acoustics of the 拢30m Symphony Hall.

What was the driving force behind the passion and ambition? "Mahler," says Rattle. "The second symphony changed my life enough to make me a conductor. When I was 11, my father took me to hear George Hurst conduct it and that was it... a completely transfiguring experience."

When Rattle and the CBSO perform Mahler鈥檚 second symphony, you can hear that investment in rehearsal time: the bristling precision, the spectrum of colours in the unison strings... Rattle conducts without a score, caressing and coaxing mosaic-like musical detail from Mahler鈥檚 gigantic philosophical theme, the destiny of humankind.

By 1998, Birmingham had grown into a vibrant, high-tech city and Sir Simon Rattle (he was knighted in 1994) left for Berlin. He鈥檚 now back in England as musical director of the London Symphony Orchestra, where he is currently backing bold and controversial plans for a new 拢300m concert hall for London. The huge ambitious spirit of Mahler still looms large...

This is one of 100 significant musical moments explored by 麻豆社 Radio 3鈥檚 Essential Classics as part of Our Classical Century, a 麻豆社 season celebrating a momentous 100 years in music from 1918 to 2018. Visit bbc.co.uk/ourclassicalcentury to watch and listen to all programmes in the season.

This is an excerpt from a recording of the final movement of Mahler's Second Symphony by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conductor Simon Rattle.

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