8th Symphony (Mahler)

Poster for the premiere on September 12, 1910 (design: Alfred Roller )

Rehearsal for the world premiere in the New Music Festival Hall in Munich

The 8th Symphony in E flat major is a symphony with soprano , alto , tenor , baritone and bass soloists , two large mixed choirs and boys' choir by Gustav Mahler . The often used epithet Symphony of the Thousand does not come from Mahler.

Emergence

The 8th Symphony was composed for the most part in the summer of 1906. In the first half of 1907 it was completely orchestrated and written down. When it was published in 1910, Mahler dedicated the work to his wife Alma . Already during the creative process he felt the peculiarity of this symphony, which he later described as his "most important work". The enormous composition was written down in the summer of 1906 at top speed. Mahler emphasizes that he has never worked “under such pressure” before. Regarding the creation process, the composer remarks: "It was like a lightning-fast vision - the whole thing was immediately before my eyes and I just had to write it down, as if it had been dictated to me." The idea of ​​a medieval hymn as a template for the new symphony, Mahler came to his vacation home in Maiernigg on Lake Wörthersee , where a Catholic missal fell into his hands. A certified version of the hymn, checked by Mahler in Vienna , contained clear deviations, which led to partial redesigns of the system. The original plan of having a total of four different movements follow the hymn, the last of which was to be a hymn of praise to Eros , was increasingly followed by the idea of setting the final scene of Goethe's Faust to music - a subject that occupied Mahler his entire life. This apparently unsuitable combination of two different materials often aroused criticism from Mahler. However, the work is based on a complicated system of combining both elements (see below). The actual preparation for the premiere began about three years after the work was completed, in the summer of 1910. Organizationally, the concert organizer Emil Gutmann had taken on the symphony. However, he faced significant problems.

To the music

occupation

3 Soprano -, 2 Old - Tenor -, baritone - and bass solo , 2 large mixed choruses , Knabenchor, 2 Piccolo flutes , 4 flutes , 4 oboe , English horn , 5 clarinets , bass clarinet , 4 Fagotte , Kontrafagott , 8 horns , 4 trumpets , 4 trombones , bass tuba , timpani , percussions , organ , harmonium , celesta , piano , 6 harps , mandolin , 1st violin , 2nd violin, viola , cello , double bass . In addition, an isolated remote orchestra of 4 trumpets and 3 trombones.

Part 1

The first and shorter part of the symphony sets the medieval , Latin Pentecost hymn " Veni creator spiritus ", which is originally ascribed to Hrabanus Maurus . The musical development is carried almost continuously by the choirs and soloists, which is why the first part is reminiscent of a large motet . The overall conception of the part reveals a freely treated sonata movement form .

The exposition begins with the opening Veni creator spiritus chorus, in which the two main themes and main motifs are presented. After a preparatory organ tone, the choir solemnly begins to sing the first main theme. In its highest expression, the second theme follows directly before a brief transition concludes the first section, but not the exposition. It joins the imple superna gratia in rondo form held side set to. The orchestral accompaniment is completely withdrawn here and the soloists create artistic alternating chants. After a while the choirs join in piano . The side theme unfolds extensively before the main themes are further processed. A great increase leads to the end of the exposure part.

The implementation begins with the Infirma nostri and is divided into four individual sentences. First, the main motif and the side motif are extensively processed and varied . The orchestral opening is followed only timidly by the use of vocal elements. In the second part, an implementation topic and an implementation motif are presented, which are immediately processed with the main topics. This processing leads to a powerful double fugue to the text Accende lumen sensibus, infunde amorem cordibus ("Ignite the light in us, pour love into our hearts"). The accende motif has significant parallels in the second part of the symphony. Mahler called it the "bridge to Faust". In the “Saved is the noble member” of the Faust part, this motif returns and thus also creates a substantive connection between light and redemption from love . This double fugue therefore represents a content center of the work. It is designed with the highest virtuosity and sweeping dynamics and leads to a repetitive part, which concludes the development.

The recapitulation begins immediately after the double fugue with the almost identical resumption of the Veni creator spiritus of the first 20 bars of the exposition. After the changed recurrence of the main motifs, a leading fugato with numerous variations of the main motif leads to the last section of the first part.

The final Gloria sit patri (Glory to the Father) is the coda of the first part of the symphony. In it it means the triumphant conclusion of the Pentecost hymn. All previous topics and motifs are processed here in parallel. In the following, the boys' choir takes on the role of the cantus firmus , while the two choirs contribute a kind of antiphonal singing . The last bars lead to an enormous final increase and lead to an eight-bar final chord of unprecedented brilliance.

Part 2

The second part sets the final scene of Goethe's Faust, more than 1000 years younger than the Pentecost hymn, to music . In turn, it is a hybrid of musical drama , cantata and oratorio .

The longest purely instrumental passage in the entire symphony forms the beginning of the second part. A Poco Adagio opens this longer part of the symphony. It already contains essential thematic material of the later sections. The Adagio begins with a few menacing and uncertain pizzicati of the low strings, whereupon a first theme emerges in the woodwind in a mysterious and mystical mood. After it has unfolded, a poignant and chorale-like singing of the strings and wind instruments follows, of the utmost inwardness. As a result, these two thematic elements combine more and more closely. The climax of this development is a dramatic outburst of the subject in the brass section to the excited tremolos of the strings. As a result, the action calms down and the Adagio closes pianissimo .

The following short scherzo-like section Piu mosso is the second purely instrumental section of the symphony. The moving main motif suddenly breaks out of the calm of the fading adagio. As a result, the two main themes that were presented in the Adagio are heard. They appear both in a lighter form as well as dramatically increased. The section goes attacca into the third section of the second part of the symphony.

After the purely instrumental opening, the choir zu Waldung schwanket heran represents the first section with vocal accompaniment in the Faust part of the symphony. This is where the local description of the forest and rock of the last scenes in Faust takes place. This begins with the accurate repetition of the opening of the adagio. Mahler then places a recitative beginning of the intonation of the Goethe text. The scenery appears mysterious and mystical, which is achieved through the underlay with the first theme and the minimal use of the choir, of which only a few members participate. After a while the strings intone the moving chorale theme, which musically realizes the “consecrated place” mentioned in the text.

This is followed by the short and poignant baritone aria Ewiger Wonnebrand by Father Ecstaticus . The cantilever and somewhat indulgent theme has a romantic touch. The lively accompaniment of the strings increases dramatically again and again. The carillon is added to the closing words “Eternal love core”.

Attacca is followed by the aria Wie Felsenabgrund mich at the feet of Pater Profundus . This aria is written in a completely free and well-composed form and sets the respective text sections in the limelight in a profoundly programmatic way. According to the text, the aria begins with a dramatic gesture by the orchestra. In the accompaniment, the key word “almighty love” shows the development theme from the first part of the symphony. This theme and the accende motif developed from it plays an increasingly important role as a love theme in the course of the second part and represents the most important connection between the two parts of the symphony.

The choir section , which is central in terms of content, develops from the love theme. Saved is the noble member . Mahler uses the previously revived Accende motif from the first part of the symphony. The corresponding passage in the Pentecost hymn reads “Accende lumen sensibus, infunde amorem cordibus” (“Ignite the light in us, pour love into our hearts”). Mahler thus creates a substantive connection between light and redemption out of love . In this way, among other things, he succeeds in amalgamating the different textual bases. The theme appears here in Scherzando form and establishes itself as a love theme for the Faust part of the symphony. Mahler interprets Faust's rescue by the angels as an act of love. In the solemn singing of the choirs, the uplifting section of text is musically implemented with great solemnity.

The chorus of those roses from the hands attaches attacca to the previous section. The singing of the younger angels can be heard in floating dynamics with reserved and carefree orchestral accompaniment . At the end of the section of text, the theme of love breaks out again to the greatest jubilation.

A ritardando leads to the choir We are left with an earthly remnant of perfect angels . An orchestral introduction with shifted chromaticism creates a mystical image. The virtuoso playing of the solo violin can be heard along with the singing of the angels, represented by a cautious choir. In the text section “No angel separated unified dual nature”, the alto part temporarily takes over the singing as a soloist.

This is followed again by the choir of the younger angels with the text section I just feel foggy around Felsenhöh . The singing begins in a solemn, relaxed mood. The solo tenor as Doctor Marianus joins the angel choir shortly afterwards. The music experiences an increasing tension as well as a slight increase in tempo.

Attacca is followed by the solo aria Supreme Ruler of the World by the previously introduced tenor Doctor Marianus . The addressed highest ruler of the world is the Mater gloriosa , which in the "eternal feminine" represents the eros of creation. Consequently, she too unites the love theme. Here the tiered structure of the work becomes clear, the highest tier of which is love. It is precisely for this reason that this aria appears hymnically transfigured, with the glamorous accompaniment of the strings. A lyrical section on the text "Suddenly the embers soften" brings the love theme back in its original form of the accent motif. As a result, an artful alternating song between solo tenor, choir and solo violin of the greatest grandeur develops.

The choral singing evolves into the subtle tones of the strings accompanied by the harp and becomes the passage of text You the Untouchables . The style of the sublime chant of the preceding aria is largely adopted here. In Goethe's tragedy, the Mater Gloriosa floats with these words. A tutti eruption from the orchestra exaggerates this image. The chorus of penitentiaries follows seamlessly , emphasizing the grace and thus the love of the Mater Gloriosa with gentle singing. The penitent melody developed here also pervades the following sections.

In terms of content, the soprano aria of Magna Peccatrix (Great Sinner), which is taken from Luke 7:36, follows directly from the chorus of penitents . The initially cantable character of the aria In the Love of the Feet quickly changes to the well-composed music-dramatic style of the previous sections. The love theme reappears in a processed form. In the following, the Mulier Samaritana (Samaritan woman) and Maria Aegyptiaca also appear, who finally unite their singing as a common lament and request of the sinners.

The aria Neige du Ohnegleiche is a soprano aria by Gretchen , the central female figure from the first part of Faust , which continues under the delicate orchestral accompaniment of the previous penitentiary sections . The very short aria brings no further musical change.

The choir of the blessed boys joins the text section He is already growing over us . The first lines of text sound to an almost Mediterranean- sounding orchestral accompaniment to a carefree melody of the penitents. An aria-like section of Gretchen follows directly . In the orchestral accompaniment of the artistic solo song, the love theme prevails. After a great increase to the line of text “The new day still fades him in”, a musical resting point sets in, which heralds the following appearance of the Mater gloriosa .

The section Come rise to higher spheres represents the transfigured appearance of the Mater gloriosa . The dominant love theme shines like a light on the transfigured scene. A progressive chromaticism of the accompaniment can increase this impression. Mahler portrays the personified appearance of the "eternal feminine" by amalgamating the love theme with a remote and transfigured musical expression, both as inviolable and incomprehensible, and as a personification of love and eros.

The penultimate section of the symphony is the choral aria Blicket auf . The tenor Doctor Marianus initially intones the sublime song with a solemn triad motif , which is later adopted by the choir. The rising melody represents a copy of the text passage. The adoption of the motif by the brass causes a chorale-like exaggeration. The musical character is consistently characterized by restrained solemnity with great grandeur. The purely instrumental end of the section finally fades away pianissimo .

The great final chorus begins in the pianissimo of the previous choir. Everything transient is only a parable . The chorus mysticus intones the closing words of Goethe in Faust: “Everything transient is only a parable; The inadequate, this is where the event takes place; The indescribable, here it is done; The eternally feminine draws us to it. ”The choral singing begins very restrained and solemnly mystical. The entire text is first run through in this style. Thematically, Mahler takes up a few motifs from the entire symphony, the main idea again developed from the accende motif (and thus the love theme). The section represents a great musical enhancement. Mahler dynamically increases the musical happening with more and more contributors up to the tutti . The choir begins to recite the text to a solemn organ chord. The love theme appears triumphantly for the last time in the company. With the participation of all those involved in the orchestra, the symphony strives towards its rousing end. A final apotheosis of the varied love theme is the jubilant end of Mahler's Opus Summum .

effect

The first performance of the work, which was completed in 1907, did not take place in Munich until September 12, 1910 . The reason for this were innumerable organizational problems. The concert took place in the New Music Festival Hall , today's Hall 1 of the Transport Center of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Mahler himself conducted the orchestra of the Konzertverein München , today's Munich Philharmonic Orchestra . The Leipziger Großchor Riedel-Verein , the Wiener Singverein and 350 students from the Munich “Zentral-Singschule” as a children's choir contributed the vocal elements of the performance. The important conductor Otto Klemperer assisted Mahler with the final preparations for the performance together with Bruno Walter . Walter himself selected the eight vocal soloists, who first rehearsed in their hometowns before they met in Munich at the beginning of September for the main rehearsals under Mahler's direction.

In this context, Klemperer admitted that “for the first time I understood Mahler's music to such an extent that I said to myself: Here is a great composer standing in front of you”. Mahler commissioned Klemperer to complete the interpretation of the work during rehearsals: “If something doesn't sound right after my death, change it. You not only have the right, but the duty to do that. "

The 3000 audience included many well-known writers, composers and conductors of the time, such as Siegfried Wagner , Alfredo Casella , Hermann Bahr , Leopold Stokowski , Arnold Berliner and Thomas Mann . The latter wrote an anthemic letter of thanks to Mahler after the performance.

The world premiere of the 8th Symphony was Mahler's greatest success during his lifetime. A moment of silence after the final chord followed by unending cheers from the numerous listeners and performers, which lasted a full 20 minutes, was what Mahler kept calling out.

Even the preliminary rehearsals in the summer of 1910 were repeatedly accompanied by expectant press reports. The large number of musicians involved led to the nickname “ Symphony of a Thousand” on the evening of the premiere . Mahler protested against this unpopular nickname and marketing it as, as he wrote, "fatal Munich performance of Barnum and Bailey ".

The criticism from the newspapers after the premiere was almost entirely positive. Other Mahler opponents and critics also recognized Mahler's achievement and the size of the new work and also praised his leadership as the conductor of his own work. The Allgemeine Musikischen Zeitung read: “The applause was unprecedented, and the conductor will also be granted it by someone who does not want to follow the composer.” Robert Holtzmann described Mahler in the same newspaper as a “German master who gave us ineffable things has to say ".

However, there were also skeptics and critics, such as Theodor W. Adorno , who viewed them as disappointing and unsuccessful, and Richard Strauss . The latter complained "about the many E-flat major", the all too radiant, almost cinematic shine.

The 8th Symphony, which Mahler described as the opus summum and “most important work” until the end of his life , is still extremely valued today. It is considered to be Mahler's undisputed masterpiece, which can be heard relatively often despite the enormous amount of work involved in performing it. It was only after the Second World War that the time was ripe for interpretations that let their musical qualities appear in a new light, the “bulky originality of the first part” (Breier quote), the subtle part of the second and third parts. It was now also recognized that it was a very intimate confession by Mahler.

On the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of the premiere in 1910, it took place on September 12, 2010 under the direction of Lorin Maazel in the presence of the then Federal President Christian Wulff , the President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert , the Prime Minister Hannelore Kraft and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso as part of the project RUHR.2010 - European Capital of Culture for a festival performance of the monumental work in a former blower hall in the Duisburg-Nord landscape park . Members of all orchestras as well as numerous choirs from the Ruhr area with a strength of around 1,300 singers and 200 instrumentalists participated here.

Status

Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony is considered an exceptional work of the genre. Its structure and conception make it difficult to compare it with Mahler's other symphonies. As in the so-called Wunderhorn symphonies ( 2nd , 3rd and 4th symphonies ), Mahler uses the human voice as an extension of the musical means of expression. Overall, Mahler prescribes a line-up for the 8th Symphony whose size is unique in Mahler's oeuvre and which makes the 8th Symphony one of the largest works in music history. The pure orchestral line-up is reminiscent of the 6th symphony, which is also richly orchestrated . However, Mahler adds an organ as well as a piano , celesta and harmonium . The expansion of the performance apparatus by no less than eight soloists and three choirs, on the other hand, is without comparison in Mahler's work. Due to this fact and the more than 1000 performers at the premiere, the nickname “ Symphony of a Thousand” developed . This name does not come from Mahler, who however titled the 8th Symphony as "the greatest thing I have ever done". In contrast to earlier symphonies with vocal participation, this symphony is sung almost completely through, which is why the term vocal symphony is appropriate for this work. This symphony also breaks new ground in terms of form. It neither contains the classic four movements, nor is it supplemented by a few more movements, as is usual with Mahler. The work is only divided into two larger parts, each of which contains several shorter and sentence-like sections. The structure is more reminiscent of a two-act opera in which arias and instrumental parts appear. The most notable conceptual difficulty, however, is the contradiction in terms of content between the two parts, which must be made into a unit. On the one hand there is the medieval, Latin hymn Veni creator spiritus , on the other hand the final scene from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust , in German. The connecting element lies in five guiding principles, which see the hymn as a religious intercession, which are symbolically represented in Faust. This is firstly the idea of ​​love as a world-making and world-redeeming principle and secondly the idea of ​​a higher grace. These two encounter the weakness and inadequacy of human beings in the earthly sphere, which result in a restless striving and the desire for enlightenment. Fifthly, therefore, united, love and grace lead to a spiritual purification and continuation of existence after death. The figure of a fist is interpreted by Mahler as the epitome of the creative and creative person who “always strives to strive”. Here he is equated with the creative spirit from the hymn, which becomes the central event that connects both parts. In the second part of the composition, therefore, the theme of love, as the highest expression of human existence, is in the foreground. The associated musical motif is varied and used extensively. Similar to the 3rd symphony , this represents an ascending system of levels, on the highest level of which love is to be located.

In terms of composition, the work has no point of comparison in Mahler's music. The earlier symphonies with vocal participation were by no means pure vocal symphonies like the 8th symphony. The creative phase heralded in the 5th symphony , which was characterized by more progressive chromatics and the exhaustion of the tonal, finds a continuation here, but due to its conception, the 8th symphony is not directly in this creative line. The tonal language is indeed in the tradition of the previous symphonies, but due to its almost consistently vocal structure, it also develops new forms of expression or, in some cases, falls back on a more classic sound. The 8th symphony points less to the completely new sound world of the subsequent 9th symphony than did the previous works.

Remarks

1. ↑ Quoted from: Richard Specht: Gustav Mahler . In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies , 227.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Albert Breier: The whole sounding universe. Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major. In: Dresdner Philharmonie (Ed.): Philharmonische Blätter , No. 3/2017.
3. ^ Letter to Emil Hertzka. Quoted from: Hans Moldenhauer, Unknown Letters Gustav Mahler, 121.
4. ↑ Here and in the following at the citation of Faust: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust II, Act V, 11844-12111.
5. ↑ Christian Wildhagen: “The greatest thing I've done”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 234.
6. ↑ Without further details in: Christian Wildhagen: "The greatest thing I've done". In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 228.
7. ↑ Otto Klemperer: Memories, 11.
8. ↑ Peter Heyworth: Conversations with Otto Klemperer, 49
9. ↑ Mann enclosed a copy of his novel Royal Highness with the letter of thanks . Cf. Thomas Mann: Briefe I, 66.
10. ↑ Letter to Bruno Walter, approx. March 1910. Quoted from: Herta Blaukopf: Gustav Mahler - Briefe, 405. The large number of participants, however, was nothing completely new: as early as 1893, the English composer Ethel Smyth held her mass in D in the sold out Royal Albert Hall (12,000 seats) with more than 1,000 participants (choir and orchestra).
11. ↑ Paul Ehlers: Article in “Allgemeine Musikische Zeitung”, September 16, 1910. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 238.
12. ↑ Robert Holtzmann: Article in “Allgemeine Musikische Zeitung”, September 23, 1910. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 238.
13. ↑ Christian Wildhagen: The "greatest thing I've done". In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 227.
14. ^ Letter to Alma Mahler. Quoted from: La Grange / Weiß: Ein Glück ohne Ruh - Gustav Mahler's letters to Alma, 424.
15. ↑ Mahler's own name. Quoted by: Christian Wildhagen: “The greatest thing I've done”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 226.
16. ↑ The five levels according to: Christian Wildhagen: "The greatest thing I've done". In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 232.
17. ↑ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust II, Act V, 11936.
18. ↑ Christian Wildhagen: “The greatest thing I've done”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 235.

literature

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe : Faust. The tragedy part two . Published inter alia at: Hamburger Bücherhefte Verlag, 170th issue, Hamburg 2005.
• Richard Specht : Gustav Mahler's VIII Symphony. Thematic analysis. With an introduction, biographical data and a portrait of Mahler. Universal Edition , Leipzig / Vienna, undated (1912).
• Herta Blaukopf : Gustav Mahler - Letters. Extended and revised new edition, Vienna 1982.
• Otto Klemperer : Memories of Gustav Mahler. Freiburg 1960.
• Henry-Louis de La Grange , Günther Weiß (ed.): "A happiness without peace" - Gustav Mahler's letters to Alma. First complete edition, Berlin 1995.
• Christian Wildhagen: The Eighth Symphony by Gustav Mahler. Conception of a universal symphonic. Lang, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-631-35606-4 .
• Renate Ulm (Ed.): Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. Origin - interpretation - effect. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2001, ISBN 3-7618-1533-6 .
• Gerd Indorf: Mahler's symphonies. Rombach, Freiburg i. Br./Berlin/Wien 2010, ISBN 978-3-7930-9622-1 .

Web links

• 8th Symphony (Mahler) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
• Discography (complete)