Untitled - The Philadelphia Orchestra

Mahler’s Grand Synthesis — The Eighth Symphony
Tracks and clips
1. Introduction
4:30
a. Gregorian Chant, Veni Creator Spiritus, Schola gregoriana mediolanensis,
Giovanni Vianini, cDhYGdK0KQg recorded 6/22/2009.*
b. Charles Gounod, Faust, Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (YNS),
Decca 0743811 recorded 12/10/2011.
c. Gustav Mahler (GM), Symphony No. 8 in E♭, NY Philharmonic, Leopold
Stokowski (GM8S), New York Philharmonic ‘The Mahler Broadcasts’ recorded
4/9/1950.
d. GM, Symphony No. 2 in c, Philadelphia Orchestra (PO), YNS, recorded
10/31/2014.
2. Vienna & Mahler in 1906
12:58
a. Franz Lehár, Die lustige Witwe, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackerman, Naxos
8.111007 recorded 4/16/1952.†
b. Arnold Schoenberg (AS), Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9, PO, Christoph
Eschenbach (CE), Philadelphia Orchestra Private Label (POpl).‡
c. Richard Wagner, Lohengrin, PO, Eugene Ormandy, Victrola VIC-1500 recorded
4/30/1939.
d. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (WAM), Così fan tutte, K. 588, Strasbourg
Philharmonic Orchestra, Alain Lombard, Musical Heritage Society MHS 3875/6/7,
recorded 5/1977.
e. WAM, Don Giovanni, K. 527, Vienna Philharmonic (VP), Bruno Walter (BW),
Melodrama CD 37506 recorded 8/2/1937.
f.
Alexander Zemlinsky, Der Traumgörge, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Gerd
Albrecht, Capriccio C10241-42 released 1988.†
g. GM, Symphony No. 5 in c♯, PO, YNS, POpl recorded10/31/2010. ‡
h.
GM, Symphony No. 5 in c♯, piano transcription, GM, Welte-Mignon piano roll,
Tacet 179 recorded 11/9/1905.
i.
j.
WAM, Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Berlin Philharmonic, Karl Böhm, DGG 138 981/3
released 1965.
WAM, Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, VP, BW, Andante 3981 recorded 8/19/1937.
3. The Motet
7:31
a. Kevin Puts, Trio Variations, Juliet Kang, Burchard Tang, Thomas Kraines,
recorded 12/11/2009.
b. Pérotin, Alleluia posui adiutorium, The Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier, ECM 1385
recorded 1/10/1989.◊
c. Johannes Ockeghem, Intemerata Dei mater, Musica Ficta, Bo Holten, Naxos
8.554260 recorded 2/17/1997.†
d. Thomas Tallis, Spem in alium, Chapelle du Roi, Alistair Dixon, Signum SIGCD029
recorded 4/5/2009.†
e. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Canticum canticorum, Magnificat, Phillip Cave,
Linn BKD 174 released 2/1995.◊
f.
Anton Bruckner, Vexilla regis, WAB 51, Dresdner Kreuzchor, Martin Flamig,
Capriccio C10081 released 1987.◊
4. Sonata-Allegro Form
4:44
All clips are Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 104 in D, H I:104, PO, Wolfgang
Sawallisch, Philadelphia Orchestra broadcast recording 3/1/1993.
5. Mahler’s Eighth, Part I
All clips are GM8S.
14:53
6. The Cantata
8:39
a. Johann Sebastian Bach (JSB), Cantata 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen,
Manhattan School of Music, Emily S. Tepe, recorded 3/17/2004.
b. Claudio Monteverdi, Tempro la cetra, La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina, Glossa
GCD 920927 recorded 2/1998.◊
c. Alessandro Scarlatti, O di Betlemme altera, The King’s Consort, Robert King,
Hyperion CDH55354 recorded 2/7/1996.◊
d.
JSB, Cantata 80 Ein feste Burg, Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, BIS
BIS-CD-1421 recorded 9/6/2003.†
e, f Beethoven, Ludwig van, Der glorreiche Augenblick, Op. 136, Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, Halary Davan Wetton, Naxos 8.572783 recorded 2/5/2011.†
g. AS, A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46, CBC Symphony Orchestra, Robert Craft,
Columbia M2S 679 released 1962.
h. Benjamin Britten, Cantata academica, Op. 62, London Symphony Orchestra,
George Malcolm, Heritage HTGCD236 recorded 1961.◊
7. Mahler’s Eighth, Part II
All clips are from GM8S.
15:22
8. Mahler’s Eighth, Timbre & Style
5:11
a. George Frideric Handel, Messiah, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,
Malcolm Sargent, Angel 3598C, released 1959.
b. GM, Symphony No 8 in E♭, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon
Rattle, EMI LC 06646 recorded 6/5/2004.
c. Giovanni Gabrieli, Plaudite omnis terra, E. Power Biggs, The Gregg Smith
Singers, The Texas Boys’ Choir of Ft. Worth, The Edward Tarr Brass Ensemble,
Columbia MS-7071 released 1968.
d-i. GM op. cit.
9. Conclusion
4:33
a. Léonin, Repleti sunt omnes, Red Byrd, Helios CDH55338 recorded 4/19/2001.§
b. GM8S.
Many of these recordings are available as downloads. * Free from youtube.com
(precede the reference with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=). Paid from
† eClassical.com, ‡ HDTracks.com, ◊ PrestoClassical.com, § Hyperion-records.co.uk.
Thanks, Bibliography, Comments
It required a lot of help. My review board was a huge part of it. Al Lesitsky always has
the right recording, but he also directed me to Phyllis Zatlin, the source of the
wonderfully snippy translation of Charles-Joseph’s famous bon mot about the
Congress of Vienna. Stacy Dutton gave me an early hand up by affirming that my
discussions of the various forms used in the piece were comprehensible. Stan Scordilis
read the Goethe and provided the German translations. Connie, whose husband I am,
not only had to listen to multiple attempts at everything, but did the graphics and
screened my somewhat rough Latin translations. Finally, Sue Mileti, newly roped into
these endeavors, gave me a second naïve listener audition. I’m very grateful to them
all!
It would be useless and tedious to give a full bibliography. If you want one, contact me
through The Philadelphia Orchestra. But I must credit Henry-Louis de la Grange’s
staggering, four volume, biography of Gustav Mahler. It runs over four thousand pages
and, to top it all, is quite readable. It was invaluable.
When The Orchestra asked me to
do this, my heart nearly stopped.
I love the piece, but understand
it? You must be kidding. Six
months later I believe that I
understand it reasonably well
from a musical standpoint, but I
will never grasp Mahler’s intent.
The 809 synod of Aix-la-Chapelle
introduced filioque into the
Nicene creed, stating that the
holy spirit descends from the
father (ex Patre) and from the
son. Hrabanus wrote the hymn
for that synod, that’s why it treats
of salvation through divine grace,
why it uses the word paraclitus.
Faust’s lover is blameless save
for her transgression with him.
She is called to heaven and Faust
will follow because of her love.
We have a religious and a
humanist statement. Mahler joins
these, attempting to express love
as a saving force for mankind. Or
are they really joined? Constantin
Floros wrote a standard text on
Mahler’s symphonies. He worries
for two pages over whether the
Eighth is an example of parataxis
(the juxtaposition of two unrelated
parts: He drove a blue car; he went to the grocery), or a synthesis. Dizzying.
The music is easier. Mahler managed to create a unified whole from very disparate
parts. A great deal of theoretical time is spent over whether Part I is a sonata-allegro
form using elements of a motet, or the other way around. My view is simple: long pieces
must have internal form. This motet is long and it uses a form well adapted to long
movements. What’s marvelous is the way he integrates it all and his masterful progress
towards the blazing conclusion. After more than an hour-and-a-half one gets to the end
and wishes that it would just go on and on. That’s an accomplishment!
Just as astonishing is the accomplishment of the musicians of The Philadelphia
Orchestra. They premiered this piece a century ago for this continent. Very few things
in the world have remained the same, but their expertise and glorious sound has. This
program is really dedicated to them.
Mike Cone