Gustav Mahler

* Symphony Nr.1
* Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone)
Sinfonienorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks/Rafael Kubelik
DGG 449 735-2

Summary for the busy executive: Outstanding.

In Vienna F. Joseph Haydn and Carl von Dittersdorf founded a great
tradition in the last half of the 18th century: The tradition of symphony.
They got direct followers in Wolfgang Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven,
and the tradition kept going into our century with "The Second Vienniese
School" and Richard Strauss.  In the 19th century its main prophets was
Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler, the latter who despite he earned his
bread in conducting operas, composed no operas, but gave his own idea what
the symphonic form shall be, with his almost 11 complete great symphonies
(Das Lied von der Erde is here counted as a symphony).  Mahler also had a
certain influence on the composers who followed him.

Born 1860 in Kalischte in Boehmen, three times a stranger; as a Czech
in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and a jew throughout the whole
world, Mahler made his carrer as conductor in provicical operahouses.
Later on to in 1897 become Kapellmeister of the Vienna Hofoper.  He needed
to convert to catholizism and baptise to be able to get this post, and
still his jewish background, not to forget the significant reforms he made,
caused him many enemies, mainly represented by the antisemitic press.
This led to his resignation in 1907 followed by a period of conducting
elsewhere; famous is his tournee in America.  He used to work hard in the
seasons and in the summer semester he composed.  In spite of the sparesome
time he had to compose his achievement stands just as even greater.

The story of the first symphony's (in D major) creation is often a
bit messy, and this will be an attempt to bring some cosmos into it.
Mahler composed first a symphonic poem, which grew out to a symphony
"Blumine" which was finished in 1888 - five years before Dvoraks "From New
World"-symphony, five years after his own "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen"
and Brahms last symphony and, more important, eight years after Hans Rotts
symphony in E-major.  The first version of the 1st consisted of two parts;
"From days of Youth" and "Commedia Umana".  The latter of course a takeoff
from Dantes "Commedia Divina", and had five movements.  As Mahler at the
time for the birth of this symphony was conductor of the Budapest Opera,
it naturally saw its first performance in Budapest.  A perfomance that
became a famous fiasco.  The bad luck caused Mahler to rework the symphony.
He left out the slow second movement ("Bluminenkapitel") and reworked the
scherzo ("In full Sail") which now became the second movement.  Mahler gave
his new version the name "Titan", not so much referring to the struggle
between the ancient gods of Greece, as to Jean Pauls opus with the same
name, in which two "Titans" ("Himmelstuermer") struggle for their aims of
intellectual freedom and peace.  This version was finished in 1893, and
three years thereafter Mahler made some additional changes in orchestration
here and there and made the coda of the last movement longer, and scratched
out its title, so it was printed as an unlabelled work.

The symphony opens with a slow meditative tempo, with clear pastoral
elements - all in all; the first movement is pastoral to its character -
after about four minutes overgoing in a somewhat quicker moderato tempo,
where the main theme is presented.  This theme, which comes from "Ging
heut' Morgens uebers Feld", the second song in "Lieder eines fahrenden
Gesellen", is thereafter repeted several times developing in different
ways.  This is atypical for Mahler, as throughout his symphonies, many
themes he considers greatness.  Everything is building up to a climax in
the middle of the movement after the pastoral mood takes over again.  This
pastoral is a worthy successor to Beethoven, as even also birddrills are
to be heard in the flute and oboe, and many other typical pastoral sounds.
The music stills, and when it is almost quiet in the nature, the contrabass
sets in adding a dark mood to the music, and disturbs the beautiful
natureidyll.  Everything isn't to pleasure which comes from nature (read:
life)!  The new pastoral then overgoes in a part of great polyphony with a
signallike theme that obviously is derived from a theme in the schrezo of
Hans Rotts 1880 symphony.  After some dissonant modulations, fanfares and
the signaltheme are to be heard again before the main theme returns and
ends the movement in a little coda.  The second movement is a clear scherzo
with a first dancelike subject that could be derived from Rott too.  Mahler
heard Rotts symphony before he wrote his 1st symphony and was highly
impressed.  He even claimed Rott to be a genious.  Rotts influence on
Mahler cannot be overstated.  There is a stubborn saying that goes that
Mahler had not heard Rotts symphony until the mid 1890ies, but this is when
he studied Rotts score, he did had heard the symphony in concert before.
The main theme is to be heard twice in the strings, before the woodwinds
takes over with underlaying dissonance in the strings.  This procedure is
repeated until the horns build a brigde to the Schubertian trio in meter.
The dancelike subject returns in the last part of the trio in a more
effectful orchestation.  The third movement opens silent with timpani and
basses, bassoon and oboe, playing a minor version of "Bruder Martin"
("Frere Jacques").  When writing this part Mahler was inspired of a picture
he had seen in a childrens fairytale book, of a hunter which is buried by
the animals of the wood.  When the procession has been walking for a while
they pass a jewish weddingcelebration, illustrated by the jewish melody in
strings, clarinet and trumpets.  An archromantic theme, which comes from
the 4th Wayfarer Song (where the text goes: "Auf der Strasse steht ein
Lindenbaum"), takes over (Mahler loves many themes!) before the canon of
"Bruder Martin" rings again in a modulation half a step upwards.  The
romantic and jewish themes are heard again shortly before "Bruder Martin"
dies out.  The last movement was one of Mahlers favourites, and he loved
to draw a great energy from his orchestras here when he conducted.  At
one occasion, when the symphony was performed in Bukarest, a woman in the
audience got so scared up by the pedalpoint with the cymbal clash and the
bassdrum which open the movement, so she jumped out from her seat in alarm,
what Mahler found very funny, and he used to tell about often.  The fourth
movement is the most complicated to describe, though most probably the most
important movement of the symphony.  It has also many themes.  The 4th
movement I would like to divide this movement in five major sections.
The first is the march that follows the opening pedal point.  In tempo
it should however never could be a military march, but it is a fine
concert march.  After about three minutes a clamer part follows in thin
orchestration with strings on a bed of horns.  The third part has a thick
orchrestration is darker and more powerful.  The fourth part is very slow
and quiet, and at last comes a grand triumphant part which connects with
the first movement with a figure in cellos that reminds of the opening of
Mozarts "Marrige of Figaro", and the pastoral themes and moods.  The
symphony ends with a triumphant coda that owes much to the first movement.
And the circle is completed here.

The last movement is a very large one whichs like the audiences had seen
(or heard!) before only in Bruckner, and Wagners operas.  To get some
perspective on it: It lasts 17-20 minutes in total duration, has 730 bars
and about 100'000 notes, of which half are in the string section.

This recording (from1968) is one of the finest that have ever been made
of this work.  The overall plaing is very distinct and energic.  There is
never the orchestra cannot fulfill the orders the conductor give; it feels
Kubelik has all the time the orchestra at top concentration.  So can the
conductor and orchestra in symbiosis charaterize the different pastoral
moods of the first movement brilliantly.  The woodwinds playing in the
second movement are so clear so one can believe there is just one
instrument with this woodwindring, and when the full orchestra sets in the
music sparkles of energy.  Kubelik lets further the irony of the third
movement fully come out, although he chooses a relatively quick tempo for
the jewish melody and the trumpets are unbalanced therein.  The trumpets
enter their part very loudly in the first two tunes, for being almost
inhearable in the rest of this melodic tail.  The unidimatization is big
enough to make one suspect the conductor has made changes in the score.
This way of playing this sequence make it sound more sad and dignified
rather than bittersweet.  Kubelik does draw a great energy from the opening
of the last movement, in a way that may have made Mahler proud of him.  The
various themes and the changing moods of the last movement are as perfectly
and lovely presented as in the first movement.  All in all the perfromance
is a top performance, and is further a very balanced one, where the quality
and "personality" of the playing all the time is on the same high level.
For personality; some are of that opinion that Bernstein takes up Mahlers
persionalism too much - even to that extent he lives out his own neuroses
in his conducting - Kubelik contributes with energy and authority over the
orchestra and lift out Mahlers emotions clearly without revelling in them.
Kubelik lets Mahler talk to us through the music, and proves with this
recording to be one of the finest Mahlerinterpreter who ever stood on
the podium.  Another great Mahler interpreter Kubelik cooperated with
in "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" (recorded 1970) is Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau.  With tremendeous secure and rare feeling for the moods
of the music Fischer-Dieskau sings the four songs with a great perfection.
No notes missed here!  A clear diction, but mainly again, the very fine
entering into the strong emotions Mahler set to music after his first love
and rejection.  As pointed out the songcycle connect with different part of
the symphony which leave to us the interpret their meaning.  The symphony
could be a description of his life ("A symphony must be like life" said
Mahler, "it must include everything") where he still can feel the feelings
of five years earlier, but where he now thinks life is beautiful.
Therefore the symphony sparkles of youthful power, and this is what
this recording transmit to us.

An excellent Mahler conductor, with an excellent baritone singer and an
alert orchestra in this wonderful music makes this an outstanding disc.
With a treble tendence, the sound is very good too.

All in all; the first symphony is a good example on what is typical for
Mahler in many ways.  The many themes and the changing moods, which very
successfully is painted in this very fine recording, which should be in
every collection.  "My time is yet to come!" said Gustav Mahler, and he was
right, although it took at least until in the 60ies before he was regulary
on the repertoire.  Maybe will the same happen to Allan Petterssons
symphonies in our time.

Mats Norrman
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