Part Two of the Eighth Symphony is Mahler’s longest symphonic movement, the length of its texthe closing scene from Goethe’s Faust part two, is so extensive that it might well be considered beyond the limits of symphonic form. It … Read More
Mahler’s last symphonic movement, he wrote one of his most beautiful themes, and some of his most stirring soul searching music. In his final effort to transcend human suffering and mortality, Mahler creates one final dualism. That is the … Read More
On the title page of the sketches for this movement, Mahler again poured out his grief:
The Devil dances it with me
Madness, seize me, the accursed!
Destroy me so that I may forget that I exist!
that I … Read More
The so called Purgatorio movement is the shortest of any of Mahler’s, purely symphonic movements lasting little more than four minutes, wedged between two large and complex scherzo’s, this brief relatively uncomplicated movement seems nearly buried by them, its … Read More
Second movement we’ll call scherzo one is one of Mahler’s most original scherzo’s, intended at first to be a scherzo finale of a much shorter Symphony, this movement combines traditional scherzo trio formed with Sonata elements, and juxtaposes a … Read More
In its grand design, thematic content and conceptual framework, the first movement of the 10th is a worthy successor to the finale of the ninth. As in the closing Adagio movement of the Ninth Symphony, the 10th opening movement … Read More
One of the tragedies of Mahler’s brilliant career as a composer is that he could not complete what might well have been his greatest Symphony. But we are fortunate that he left one virtually completed movement and substantial sketches … Read More
Having been subjected to the raging violence, manic fury and sneering mockery of the rondo burlesque, the human spirit seems to be doomed to a tragic fate, if the proceeding movements lead us to the conclusion that all that … Read More
In the third movement, as in so many of Mahler’s scherzo’s, his inner demon takes center stage, it has been aptly referred to as Mahler’s dance macabre. Unlike the principal subjects of the scherzo of the sixth and … Read More
In the second movement Mahler once again indulges his pension for parody for the use of popular dance music as a parable to the societal decadence of his time. He does not just offer dances such as the Waltz, … Read More
