This Week in Classical Music: July 3, 2023.Mahler and more. Gustav Mahler was born on July 7th of 1860.With all the ebbs and flows in classical music tastes, he remains at the very top, acknowledged as one of the greatest European composers, beloved both by the regular listeners, judging by the number of “views” his symphonies receive on YouTube, and by music critics, based on their very subjectively compiled “best” lists.Here’s the finale (the fifth movement, Im Tempo des Scherzos) of his Symphony no. 2, Resurrection.The London Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Georg Solti.The Second Symphony was written between 1888 and 1894, while Mahler was moving from one city to another as an itinerant opera conductor.In 1888 he resigned from the Leipzig opera and went to Budapest, assuming the directorship of the Royal Hungarian Opera.He stayed there, rather unhappily, till 1891, when he was sacked, though by that time he was already negotiating a contract with the Stadttheater Hamburg, the city’s main opera house.Hired in Hamburg as the chief conductor, he later succeeded Hans von Bülow as director of the city's subscription concerts.It was also during the years in Hamburg that he established the pattern of composing during the summer months, first in Steinbach on Lake Attersee, then in Maiernigg on Lake Worthersee in Carinthia, and later in Toblach in South Tyrol.In Steinbach, the family stayed in an inn, but for his own purposes, Mahler built a tiny one-room house on the lake where he would retire to for hours and compose.It was in this hut that he completed the Second Symphony and wrote most of the Third.
Several interesting composers were born this week, all deserving their own entry. Leoš Janáček, a Czech composer, was born on July 3rd of 1854.Six years older than Mahler, he was born in the same country, Austria-Hungary: Mahler in Kaliště, Bohemia, Janáček in Hukvaldy, Moravia.Bohemia and Moravia are now parts of the Czech Republic but back then were ruled by the Austrian Emperor from Vienna.But of course, this is where the similarities end. Mahler, a Jew, eventually moved to Vienna, and assumed the leadership of the Hofoper, the main opera house of the Empire (in the antisemitic Vienna to get the post he had to convert to Christianity) and composed symphonies with universal appeal (and at times, almost universal rejection).Janáček, on the other hand, became a Czech nationalist, politically supported the independence of Czechia and is considered, together with Dvořák and Smetana, one of the most important Czech composers.One of Janáček’s best-known works is the opera Jenůfa, completed in 1902.Here’s the finale, with Gabriela Beňačková in the title role.In this 1992 live recording, James Conlon conducts the Metropolitan Opera orchestra.
Ottorino Respighi, one of the most important Italian composers of the early 20th century, was born on July 9th of 1879 in Rome.Some years ago, we wrote an entry about him, you can read it here.Also, an interesting composer with a fascinating biography, Hanns Eisler was born on July 6th of 1898.We’ll write about him next week, together with his contemporary and compatriot, Carl Orff.
Mahler 2023
This Week in Classical Music: July 3, 2023. Mahler and more. Gustav Mahler was born on July 7th of 1860. With all the ebbs and flows in classical music tastes, he remains at the very top, acknowledged as one of the greatest European composers, beloved both by the regular listeners, judging by the number of “views” his symphonies receive on YouTube, and by music critics, based on their very subjectively compiled “best” lists. Here’s the finale (the fifth movement, Im Tempo des Scherzos) of his Symphony no. 2, Resurrection. The London Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Georg Solti. The Second Symphony was written between 1888 and 1894, while Mahler was moving from one city to another as an itinerant opera conductor. In 1888 he resigned from the Leipzig opera and went to Budapest, assuming the directorship of the Royal Hungarian Opera. He stayed there, rather unhappily, till 1891, when he was sacked, though by that time he was already negotiating a contract with the Stadttheater Hamburg, the city’s main opera house. Hired in Hamburg as the chief conductor, he later succeeded Hans von Bülow as director of the city's subscription concerts. It was also during the years in Hamburg that he established the pattern of composing during the summer months, first in Steinbach on Lake Attersee, then in Maiernigg on Lake Worthersee in Carinthia, and later in Toblach in South Tyrol. In Steinbach, the family stayed in an inn, but for his own purposes, Mahler built a tiny one-room house on the lake where he would retire to for hours and compose. It was in this hut that he completed the Second
Symphony and wrote most of the Third.
Several interesting composers were born this week, all deserving their own entry. Leoš Janáček, a Czech composer, was born on July 3rd of 1854. Six years older than Mahler, he was born in the same country, Austria-Hungary: Mahler in Kaliště, Bohemia, Janáček in Hukvaldy, Moravia. Bohemia and Moravia are now parts of the Czech Republic but back then were ruled by the Austrian Emperor from Vienna. But of course, this is where the similarities end. Mahler, a Jew, eventually moved to Vienna, and assumed the leadership of the Hofoper, the main opera house of the Empire (in the antisemitic Vienna to get the post he had to convert to Christianity) and composed symphonies with universal appeal (and at times, almost universal rejection). Janáček, on the other hand, became a Czech nationalist, politically supported the independence of Czechia and is considered, together with Dvořák and Smetana, one of the most important Czech composers. One of Janáček’s best-known works is the opera Jenůfa, completed in 1902. Here’s the finale, with Gabriela Beňačková in the title role. In this 1992 live recording, James Conlon conducts the Metropolitan Opera orchestra.
Ottorino Respighi, one of the most important Italian composers of the early 20th century, was born on July 9th of 1879 in Rome. Some years ago, we wrote an entry about him, you can read it here. Also, an interesting composer with a fascinating biography, Hanns Eisler was born on July 6th of 1898. We’ll write about him next week, together with his contemporary and compatriot, Carl Orff.