Thursday, September 17, 2009

Mahler Symphony No 2: The Resurrection (Final Movement)

Among all of Mahler's works, the 2nd symphony ranks as one of the most popular and successful work (apart from the Eight Symphony) and shows forth Mahler's view concerning the beauty of life after death. The entire piece is about 80 mins long - with the final movement lasting some 30 minutes long. The final 13 minutes or so that the choir sings is the culmination of a stunning work which explores the various themes of death, despair, and finally the resurrection.

The entry of the choir with the words "Aufer Steh'n" is a tremendous moment - breaking the silence through the soft, yet sublime words conveying the call to "rise again" and reminding us all of the temporal character of death - which will be eventually conquered by the power of the resurrection. In the first portion, the choir is required to sing in pianissimo, as Mahler weaves a beautiful narrative concerning human destiny - that the seeds of death sown will eventually bloom and give rise to a harvest of life.

Juxtaposed between the first and third parts of the finale is a message of hope - sung by the soloists - thus personalizing our understanding and appreciation of the words. Indeed, the words tell us that our travails on this earth is not without vain, that what we have fought for will not be forgotten...that somewhere beyond our worldly existence lies the promise of eternity...

"O believe, my heart, o believe: it is not lost to you! (It) is yours, yours, yes yours, what you yearned for! Yours, what you loved for, what you fought for! (trans)

Following this, the choir responses with the call to "cease trembling" (Hor' auf zu beben) before energizing the piece with its first fortissimo call to "prepare" to wage battle against death. As the music becomes more agitated, the soloists go on ring the words of freedom ("Mit Flug-eln, die ich mir er rungen, wer de ich ent schwe-ben) in which the romantic hero, putting on wings, emerges victorious from his battle against death. The choir repeats these words in a four-part fugue culminating in a magnificent cry of "Sterben werd' ich, un zu leben (I shall die, to live!) where the entire orchestra congregates upon - signifying the death of death. But this is not the end. As the final phrase goes:

"Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n wirst du, Mein Herz, in einem Nu! Was du geschlagen Zu Gott wird es dich tragen" (Arise, yes, arise again, my heart, in an instant! What you have fought for Shall lead you to God!)

The above words, which marks the climax of this piece, is where the act of resurrection is completed and where the human race receives its final liberation from death. With maximum force (mit hochster kraft) - as Mahler puts it - the message of hope and redemption is sounded, carrying the work to its highest and stunning - and emotional - conclusion. Three times the choir sings "Zu Gott" (each time, higher and higher) before concluding in a perfect E flat major cadence.

I shall post a personal reflection on this piece in a couple of days.






Mahler Symphony No 2: The Resurrection (A Subjective Interpretation)

Its been a long time since my last post, have been really busy and naturally blogging would have to take a back seat.

Together with the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Bible College Chorale and several other HOS singers, we'll be performing Mahler's 2nd Symphony from 18-19 Sep under the inspirational baton of the world-renowned conductor John Nelson, founder of Soli Deo Gloria Music.

Some thoughts after today's final dress rehearsal with the SSO. But before we start, couple of disclaimers:

I shall not be discussing about the entire piece - since to do so will be way beyond my reach and scope (a google search should surface a considerable amount of good indepth analysis). In anycase, i'm not a professional musician, so it wouldnt be fair for me to comment on areas that I am not trained in.