July 6, 2015.Gustav Mahler.A friend traveling around Central Europe writes from Melk, famous for its castle: “We’re sitting in a café on the main square, surrounded by the locals.The sun is shining, a wind band is playing, everybody seems to be enjoying themselves.It could be the early 1900s, or 1939, right after the Anschluss – things don’t change much in Austria.” He then adds, “Mauthausen is right over the hills, but would anybody care?”He’s going to visit Maiernigg next.Even though Mahler’s name hasn’t been mentioned, this short description is full of allusion to the composer’s life: his childhood fascination with military bands, his birth in one of the provinces of a great empire, his habit of composing in a remote cabin by a lake, and, also, for good measure, Austrian historical anti-Semitism.Gustav Mahler was born on July 7th of 1860 in a small town of Kaliště (then Kalischt), near Jihlava (Iglau) in Bohemia, at that time a part of Austria-Hungary, into an assimilated Jewish family.We followed his life around the time he composed his First (here) and Second (here) symphonies.By 1893, the year Mahler started working on his Third Symphony, he had assumed the position of the Chief conductor at Hamburg State theater, having left the more prestigious Royal Hungarian Opera.Mahler would’ve stayed in Budapest longer (he mounted several very successful opera productions, and his Don Giovanni was hailed by Brahms himself) but an ongoing conflict with management made his departure inevitable (anti-Semitism also played a role).In Hamburg his relationship with the director Bernhard Pohl (or Pollini, as he preferred to be known) was much more amicable.During his maiden season Mahler conducted several highly acclaimed productions of Wagner operas: Siegfried, Tannhäuser and Tristan (somewhat surprisingly, he also staged Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin).At that time he established a pattern, which he would follow for the rest of his life: conducting during the season and composing in the summer.He built himself a small one-room cabin in Steinbach, on lake Attersee in the Salzkammergut.There he composed the Second and Third symphonies (the cabin was just for composing – Mahler lived in an inn in the village).In 1894 the young Bruno Walter joined Mahler at the State Theater and soon became a friend and an acolyte.The Third Symphony was completed in 1896.By then Mahler was tired of Hamburg and ready to move on.He started a campaign for a position at the Vienna Hofoper, the main opera theater in all of the empire.In the Vienna of the day a Jew couldn’t be appointed to a significant post at the imperial theater; Mahler, never a practicing Jew, removed that barrier by converting to Roman Catholicism.That happened in February of 1897.Two months later he was appointed a Kapellmeister, and in September of that year – the music director of the opera.
The Third Symphony consists of six movements, which, according to Mahler himself, comprise two uneven parts: the first part consists of the long first movement, and the second one – of the remaining five.The 1st movement (here) runs for more than 30 minutes, practically a symphony in itself.(Depending on the performance, the complete symphony usually runs between one hour and 30 minutes to an hour and 40 minutes).Mahler gave it an informal title "Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In."This is where we can hear the military-band music that so affected the young composer. Some of it is almost unbearably vulgar (Mahler marked certain passages as “Grob!” – “coarse” or “gross” in German) and some is heavenly, in association with Pan.The 2nd movement,"What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me," as Mahler called it (here), is a short (about nine minutes) lyrical intermezzo in Tempo di Menuetto.The 3rd movement, an about 16 minute-long Scherzando (here), Mahler called "What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me."The 4th movement, Misterioso (or "What Man Tells Me," hear) introduces a contralto singing from Nietzsche's “Midnight Song” from Also sprach Zarathustra.The Children’s choir joins in the 5th movement Cheerful in tempo, or, as Mahler called it "What the Angels Tell Me", is based on one of the songs from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (here).The majestic 6th movement (here) is one of the greatest symphonic pieces ever written.Langsam – Ruhevoll – Empfunden (Slowly, tranquil, deeply felt), Mahler subtitled it "What Love Tells Me."The late Claudio Abbado is inspiring as he leads the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.Anna Larsson is the contralto.
Gustav Mahler, Third Symphony, 2015
July 6, 2015. Gustav Mahler. A friend traveling around Central Europe writes from Melk, famous for its castle: “We’re sitting in a café on the main square, surrounded by the locals. The sun is shining, a wind band is playing, everybody seems to be enjoying themselves.
It could be the early 1900s, or 1939, right after the Anschluss – things don’t change much in Austria.” He then adds, “Mauthausen is right over the hills, but would anybody care?” He’s going to visit Maiernigg next. Even though Mahler’s name hasn’t been mentioned, this short description is full of allusion to the composer’s life: his childhood fascination with military bands, his birth in one of the provinces of a great empire, his habit of composing in a remote cabin by a lake, and, also, for good measure, Austrian historical anti-Semitism. Gustav Mahler was born on July 7th of 1860 in a small town of Kaliště (then Kalischt), near Jihlava (Iglau) in Bohemia, at that time a part of Austria-Hungary, into an assimilated Jewish family. We followed his life around the time he composed his First (here) and Second (here) symphonies. By 1893, the year Mahler started working on his Third Symphony, he had assumed the position of the Chief conductor at Hamburg State theater, having left the more prestigious Royal Hungarian Opera. Mahler would’ve stayed in Budapest longer (he mounted several very successful opera productions, and his Don Giovanni was hailed by Brahms himself) but an ongoing conflict with management made his departure inevitable (anti-Semitism also played a role). In Hamburg his relationship with the director Bernhard Pohl (or Pollini, as he preferred to be known) was much more amicable. During his maiden season Mahler conducted several highly acclaimed productions of Wagner operas: Siegfried, Tannhäuser and Tristan (somewhat surprisingly, he also staged Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin). At that time he established a pattern, which he would follow for the rest of his life: conducting during the season and composing in the summer. He built himself a small one-room cabin in Steinbach, on lake Attersee in the Salzkammergut. There he composed the Second and Third symphonies (the cabin was just for composing – Mahler lived in an inn in the village). In 1894 the young Bruno Walter joined Mahler at the State Theater and soon became a friend and an acolyte. The Third Symphony was completed in 1896. By then Mahler was tired of Hamburg and ready to move on. He started a campaign for a position at the Vienna Hofoper, the main opera theater in all of the empire. In the Vienna of the day a Jew couldn’t be appointed to a significant post at the imperial theater; Mahler, never a practicing Jew, removed that barrier by converting to Roman Catholicism. That happened in February of 1897. Two months later he was appointed a Kapellmeister, and in September of that year – the music director of the opera.
The Third Symphony consists of six movements, which, according to Mahler himself, comprise two uneven parts: the first part consists of the long first movement, and the second one – of the remaining five. The 1st movement (here) runs for more than 30 minutes, practically a symphony in itself. (Depending on the performance, the complete symphony usually runs between one hour and 30 minutes to an hour and 40 minutes). Mahler gave it an informal title "Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In." This is where we can hear the military-band music that so affected the young composer. Some of it is almost unbearably vulgar (Mahler marked certain passages as “Grob!” – “coarse” or “gross” in German) and some is heavenly, in association with Pan. The 2nd movement, "What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me," as Mahler called it (here), is a short (about nine minutes) lyrical intermezzo in Tempo di Menuetto. The 3rd movement, an about 16 minute-long Scherzando (here), Mahler called "What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me." The 4th movement, Misterioso (or "What Man Tells Me," hear) introduces a contralto singing from Nietzsche's “Midnight Song” from Also sprach Zarathustra. The Children’s choir joins in the 5th movement Cheerful in tempo, or, as Mahler called it "What the Angels Tell Me", is based on one of the songs from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (here). The majestic 6th movement (here) is one of the greatest symphonic pieces ever written. Langsam – Ruhevoll – Empfunden (Slowly, tranquil, deeply felt), Mahler subtitled it "What Love Tells Me." The late Claudio Abbado is inspiring as he leads the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Anna Larsson is the contralto.