As an agnostic myself, I can honestly say that Mahler's music is nothing short of a religious experience for me. I had the privilege of singing the choral part in this many years ago, and could barely get through each performance without becoming completely overwhelmed. I got emotional just watching this video! "Life-changing" is absolutely correct.
Historical Evidence for the Son of God Jesus Christ and his Ressurection: Flavius Josephus 1st Century Historian - Testified of Jesus Christs Existance and Ressurection Tacitus, Roman Historian wrote between 115 - 117ad - Testified of Jesus Christ's Existence. Jewish Biblical Literature, Tanakh Period 70-200ad Sanhedrin 43a - Testified Jesus Christ Existed and Death.
@@f.p.2010 Exactly this...his 8th rips my soul apart, my heart breaks into millions of pieces. And then, when you think things will go wrong, the universe shines the brightest it has ever shone. To paraphrase "All that is human and is perishable is merely a reflection of reality...All that man could never obtain is here achieved...The inspiration of love draws us forwards and up into eternity."
yeah and sometimes i am sure and i think it is a pity and quite disappointing: there will never come any better in my life than hearing the ending in my local church while sitting 1m away from the strings and soprano and getting the organ sounds from the back.
Inside the Score This video was perfectly timed for me. I became obsessed with Mahler (via Mahler 2) a couple months back. Then, I got to see it performed by the Cleveland Orchestra. It was absolutely perfect.
The thing I like the most about Mahler is that the core themes are so well integrated into the harmony and melody that each symphony kind of has a "feel" to it. Also very frequently a certain theme will start the same in 2 appearances of which but develop to distinct things, and this becomes very noticable as you listen and memorize the music (you hear a theme and then sing the continuation from previous appearances and then you realize it develops into something else, perhaps happier, perhaps more sad) - further emphasising the narrative. I'm a 15 years old boy from Israel and my dream is to hear this live preformed by some great orchestra. Maybe one day.
Good place to start..I think I was 18 years old the first time I heard this on a vinyl record I checked out from my public library, then about 4 years later I had the opportunity to hear it performed live.
Four years ago you wrote this fascinating post. Now in 2024 I imagine you would be an outstanding young man. Your musical appreciation and the dream you describe I hope have led you to a bright, deeply satisfying life bounding with music that feeds your spirit and delights your soul, mind and heart.
I know this video is 2 years old. But, I have just played this on second Timpani , the first full orchestra concert post COVID and my god, I have never felt so breathless in any piece of music ever. I recommend anyone, whatever the background, to listen to this Symphony at least once live
As a musician, I began my live of Mahler with his 1st back in 1966. I was invited to the Proms this year into a box and drinks and dinner afterwards. Spiritually moving, as always, but being dumped by the love of my life on 31 December 2021, I've never recovered but I continue to play, paint, photograph and write, always with an existential sadness. The sheeple-infested Brexitland will never open to high art music. I've spent my life championing high art music thatvmakes people better human beings
@filiz yüksel Thanks for your concern. Doing better? To what are you referring? I'm productive and perfecting my technique in the pursuit of happiness in spite of all the idiots.
All of Mahler's works effect me. They are profound and incredibly powerful. His music seeks, awakening the soul to wonder. It asks the penultimate questions. Is there more? Is it all a vast and terrible joke? It consoles, it destroys, it transcends. These days, not many are going to church. Mahler is an important musical link to the spiritual side of humankind. It goes to show, while we may have lost God, we still need the kind of spiritual depth that Mahler provides.
You don't have to go to church to believe and worship God, if You lost Him, He will be happy to have you back, even in this symphony some of the words are "You are from God, return to God"
The first Mahler symphony I got into. I still remember when I heard it on the radio in the early 80s, it just blew me away. I went out the next day , bought it and listened to it over and over. I sometimes feel I could conduct this myself, I'm that familiar with it. A wonderful symphony, a whole world in itself, and what an ending. Thanks for this , you've made me want to hear an old friend again.
I just finished listening to the whole symphony and I am simply blown away - I had tears in my eyes, goosebumps and an overall feeling of awe... Thank you for "opening the door" to Mahler's beautiful and powerful music , this guide really creates an appetite for more :-)
Dude, where have you been all my life? I was in the chorus for a performance of Mahler's Eighth Sym. about 3 years ago. His symphonies are such amazing journies. The Universe was Mahler's inspiration. "Das Lied des Universum"
Mahler's Second is my all time favorite symphony. I have had the joy of singing this twice with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and the Florida Orchestra. The first time, I could barely get through the chorus without weeping. I have also sung Beethoven's ninth 4 times, and I love it, but Mahler 2 is Beethoven's 9th on steroids! I am a huge Mahler fan. Any day with Mahler in it is a GOOD day!
I first heard this symphony at orchestra hall with the Chicago Symphony under Georg Solti. I was unprepared for its emotional impact. The final movement left me in tears. I always regarded this piece as sacred and would listen to it only when I had the time to hear it properly.
Solti and the Chicago Symphony playing Mahler's 1st,2nd,5th.7th or 8th just does not get any better.Being a musician The chicago was known for having a supreb brass section in the 80's and 90's.Maybe not as good today but back then...wow! I heard them play the 2nd in the early 90's on an NPR broadcast,the best brass i have ever heard on any broadcast!
I vividly remember deciding to just play Mahler's 2nd symphony while writing an essay at uni. I knew absolutely nothing about Mahler or the piece, I was just feeling like exploring something new. I wasn't really listening as I was focused on writing, but I was enjoying some of passages. Then the last 15 minutes came with the choir and then the finale and it genuinely felt like being hit by a truck in your soul. From then on I just sat back in awe. It is one of the only moments I can say I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by a piece of art. Disgustingly devastating piece of music I absolutely can't wait to see it live.
What an amazing work this is! Played it many years ago (I'm a cellist). Exhilerating and exhausting! Epic in scope and so rewarding as a musician. Learning it was a beast and a half, but when all the notes, all the parts, all the cueing comes together... Words can't describe it... Talk about the "power of music! Yeah, you feel it right down to your dna! ❤❤
I was first introduced to this work as a singer in the chorus, and that was, in itself, an amazing experience. The director (Ozawa), the orchestra (Boston) and the hall (Davies in San Francisco) only increased the intensity of this work.
I love not only listening to Mahler, but also playing his music. As a double bassist, many composers often just put the root or third of the chord in our part, but Mahler really writes fun double bass parts
Well as a double bassist the bass line is the most important part in harmony so idk why people don’t like playing a “typical bass part”. Just because you’re not playing melodic content doesn’t mean the part is not impactful. Although I agree, playing Mahler is extremely fun.
Trust me. Mahler loves double basses. You are greatly used in texture as well as the melody so you’re lucky on bass. But I may be wrong because I play flute and piccolo, not bass so point me out if I am wrong.
Your abundant knowledge of English language, and the tone of voice, and the passion IS a redemption of some sort. For those who understand nothing in classics. And especially in Mahler. And especially for those who THINK they understand Mahler. Kisses. ❤❤❤
I first heard Mahler’s 2nd, 1st Movement in a creative writing class in high school. I just closed my eyes and saw something just cinematic. Heroes, villains, love interests, victory, defeat.. I had to listen to the rest of it. It’s an overwhelming piece of art.
The way you draw the themes out and explain them is brilliant. This work became a favorite after I was lucky enough to be in the chorus for a performance... you taught me a whole bunch of stuff I hadn't seen and gave me a deeper appreciation of this piece. Thank You!
It's been almost two years since I first got into classical music. I was 15, listening to Liszt's Liebestraum no.3. Since then, I've discovered more and more, and I thought I had hit the plateau of peak emotion at opera. I thought there was no more, but I'm so glad to discover how wrong I was! Thanks for presenting us to that masterpiece
Wow, it’s been almost two years for me too... I started with the basics - Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff - and have been in my Mahler phase for a good 6 months now. It’s astonishing stuff.
As someone without a deep understanding of music, I totally agree with your advice. I listened to the magnificent finale at first, and then was drawn further back into the symphony, until after a while I was able to take the whole journey. I used the word journey before I had ever read it described as such, because that is exactly how it feels. By the end of a great performance you arrive exhausted and elated. I have seen it performed many times, most recently by the brilliant Vasily Petrenko. Thank you for this summary. I will now investigate Sonata form, and maybe gain even deeper satisfaction from this staggering piece of art.
The end to Mahler's 2nd changed me forever, and I only listened to the last 15 minuets before even properly experiencing the whole thing. Today I am about to complete my 10th Mahler cycle including all of his works and also Hans Rott, the Piano Quartett, all of the song cycles including the Three Songs for Tenor, and even his 10th.
I was fortuitous enough to listen and discover this symphony for the very first time live. Although I was already familiar with Mahler's 5th and 1st, this was definitely a life changing experience, shaking me to my core. It remains to this day my personal favourite symphony and one of the few times I actually cried in a concert.
I was lucky to hear Mahler Second live many years ago in Cleveland, OH. It is a massive piece and it is long and it is complicated and it is in German. At the end of the concert, I felt that the symphony was probably among the greatest musci written but I was lost. My brain is too small to take in so much stuffs. Unfortunately, the greatest music cannot be easily reached by the average people. Thank you for this guide which is more effective than reading a book before going to the concert.
Thanks for this video about a fantastic composition. This symphony was actually my introduction to Mahler. I had heard disparaging comments about his music from a high school friend who played horn, but hadn't actually listened to any. When I got a recording of this symphony, it was a total revelation ... and it led me to depend less on friends' opinions about music!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Especially your comments at the end. // I played Mahler 2 several times as a percussionist under Manny Laureano (principle trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra), as conductor of the Minnesota Youth Symphony. // This piece was of seminal influence the my life.. I feel I know every note by heart. It's impacted me in a way nothing else has.
I just played this with my unis orchestra and it was a true religious experience to play as the concert was the first time we all heard it in full together with choir and it was absolutely angelic with lots of sobs after
You forgot to mention Amsterdam as one of the main centers of classical music in the world. Mahler spent extended periodes of time in Amsterdam, conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for years, and called Amsterdam ‘his second musical home’. Hence we have a massive Mahler tradition here in Amsterdam that should be honored, just as our city itself. Amsterdam, one of the capitals of true human and spiritual freedom in the world that is a guiding light and inspiration to so many in the world, that goes way bevond ‘drugs and hookers and flowers’. Amsterdam = freedom to the level of as free as it gets in ‘the civilized world’, and even beyond. Besides that, thank you for this and your channel. I subscibed.
I heard it twice live in one day in Aspen. A couple years later I got to perform it. As transcendent as it is to hear, playing it is even more intense and transcendent.
Thank You very much for this great series of podcasts! I have absolutely love and enjoy them! I didn’t think you would do Mahler right away, and boy it was phenomenal! I just love what you are doing! Thank You!
This was just wonderful. I have listened to the 2rd for years, and every time I am amazed. I cannot get thought the last 20 minutes of the last movement without crying, it is so beautiful, like heaven itself. I think Mahler himself said that he didn't know how he wrote it; some force working though him. I feel like I could study this music for the rest of my life, and still not comprehend it all. Many thanks.
I, too, share your all-consuming passion for Mahler. That passion comes across beautifully in how reverently you speak of the master, almost as if he is a deity himself. That`s understandable; he composed like one! I know a trumpet player who performed in the Pittsburgh Symphony years ago and he lists this as his favorite Mahler symphony.
You’re the Deeryck Cook of Mahler, maestro!! Thank you for imparting your insight and beautiful words: “be alone and undisturbed....no distractions...” can’t wait to see your video on Mahler’s 5th and 6th
@@mrplatink Deryck Cooke famously completed Mahler's 10th Symphony (which was unfinished on Mahler's death). And has written some great essays on Mahler
31:58: They sing the poem "Auferstehung" by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock with some amendments by Mahler: Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n wirst du, mein Staub, nach kurzer Ruh’! Unsterblich’ Leben! Unsterblich’ Leben wird der dich rief, dich rief, dir geben! Wieder aufzublüh’n, wirst du gesä’t! Wieder aufzublüh’n, wirst du gesä’t! Der Herr der Ernte, der Herr der Ernte geht und sammelt Garben uns ein, die starben. O glaube! Mein Herz, o glaube: Es geht dir nichts verloren! Dein ist, Dein ja Dein, was du gesehnt! Dein, was du geliebt, was du gestritten! O glaube: Du wardst nicht umsonst geboren! Hast nicht umsonst gelebt, gelitten! O Schmerz! Du Alldurchdringer! Dir bin ich entrungen! O Tod! Du Allbezwinger! Nun bist du bezwungen! Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen, in heißem Liebesstreben werd’ ich entschweben zum Licht, zu dem kein Aug’ gedrungen! Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen, werde ich entschweben! Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen, werde ich entschweben! Sterben werd’ ich, um zu leben! Sterben werd’ ich, um zu leben! Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu! Was du geschlagen, was du geschlagen, zu Gott, zu Gott, zu Gott wird es dich tragen! www0.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Symphony_No._2_in_C_minor_(%22Resurrection%22)_(Gustav_Mahler)
Agree! Mahler's music in general and the final of #2, speaks to the heart. The recording with Dudamel with Göteborg Symphony and Rattle's recording with the Berling Symphnoy, are transformational (and entertaining to see!), indeed. Leaves no one untouched. Thanks.
I have had the privilege of singing in this symphony twice, once with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Now, I cannot help but cry every time I get to the finale when listening. The way the themes are teased little by little until then creates the most satisfying and powerful payoff I have ever heard.
You know when you lost something and found it - doesn't matter if it was ages before you did, or seconds later - you know that feeling? I had this experience just now. When I was thirteen, I heard the last movement of this symphony and never realised that it was Mahler's Resurrection. Then I looked for it for ages. Fortunately I clicked on this and listened to the advice. And yes, it was the last movement of the symphony that I heard ages ago. Beethoven composed an imposing mass to express his faith, but man, Mahler opened a portal and said, "Here. Step in and experience."
Incredible. By the only the second episode, you have hit your stride, and, by god, is it an impressive stride. Your analysis, presentation, insight, and pace is impeccable, and I simply cannot wait to listen to the other episodes. Although you mentioned that you don't have much time nowadays, I cannot phathom the amount of preparation and editing this would have taken as a 37 minute audio recording. My comments and constructive criticisms on the first episode are now irrelevant after finally understanding how well your episodes are constructed. I will now listen to Mahler's 2nd Symphony, one of my favourites, equipped with your insights. Unfortunately, I never sat down and truly listened to the 1.5 hour symphony in one go, and for that, I think it's emotional and spiritual weight did not have as much impact on me as it appeared to have on you or others in the chat. Without a doubt, I imagine this will change with a full listen. Moreover, in a year's time, I will be attending a season finale of Mahler's 2nd with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and I don't think I have felt this much anticipation in years. Thank you!
I've loved this symphony since I was in my twenties some 40 years ago. About 10 years ago, I got to sing in the choir although I'm not really a serious musician and I can just barely read music. I really worked on it on my own, which was not "work" at all! At the first public performance, I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't make any sound when we sang "Auferstehung". It didn't help that it was the symphony season finale and the conductor's last performance as music director as he would be moving on to a new orchestra, and of course, I had friends and family in the audience. There is no greater work of music IMO with the possible exception of the 8th. That would be another dream to sing in, and it is on my bucket list. Great podcast!
Benjamin Zander, the conductor of an ensemble I recently performed Mahler 2 with, suggests the horn calls in the 5th movement are to suggest to size of the universe. With both horns being offstage, and one an echo and noteably quieter than the other, Mahler is suggesting the enormous scale of the universe, especially when used in "Der Grosse Appell" (or The Great Call) in the fifth movement
This is a piece of music that I've listened to many times over many years. Thanks for the video, I have learned some things from it about this symphony.
This was my personal introduction to Mahler's music, fifty years ago; my love affair with his music has not waned. I so get your enthusiasm for this musical miracle, and appreciate your deep and reverent knowledge of him and his gifts.💐
OMG Thank you so much I Love Mahler All of his pain and suffering went into his work. He was brilliant and Leonard Bernstein knew this and loved his powerful compositions. Thanks for this informative podcast on the Resurrection
My favorite part of this video is that you never have inserted the finale. It is, to my opinion, the greatest piece of music, and that you say to find "your perfect recording of Mahler 2", while managing to not spoil it, is a masterwork unto itself.
I was initially skeptical of this symphony feeling that it really couldn’t be as good as many people had hyped it up to be, but it turns out it’s one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. I refrain from listening to it as much as possible to have it be a journey without know it’s parts in my mind like other pieces.
I wish I could listen to it more often, but it is just too emotionally devastating. Just thinking about the finale makes me cry. It's just so unbelievably amazing.
I love Rattle doing this. I was lucky enough to see Tovey doing this at the Orpheum in Vancouver, but I missed his final performance there due to a family funeral last year. Thanks for this wonderful video!
Saw Maher 2 at the Albert Hall by RPO a couple of weeks ago, massive orchestra, huge choirs second small orchestra in the gods. Fantastic. the walk back to the tube and the journey along the district line was like being on a supporters train if you'd just watched your team win a cup final, the people who'd been to the concert were completely hyped all the way. Fabulous.
Great great video! i have studied this symphony for a long time but still this was very interesting to listen to. So glad that someome says how amazingly great this work was. Maybe after a few episodes of other works you'll come back to mahler and try to get into 3rd or 9th or 6th for the complete crazyness. Thanks for your content !
Very good presentation of this undescribable work! I do agree with almost everything you said. What I am not sure of is that you said this symphony is "accessible". I don't think, from my own experience, that it is. If I think about suggesting this smphony to a friend who is not into classical music, I can easily foresee a "what? one hour long piece?? never!". I guess this symphony is too much at the beginning. A whiel ago (25 years I guess) I was madly exploring classical music on my own, listening to everything I could and I distinctly remember my Abbado version, so long that it was split in two discs, and I never had the will to listen to the second part! It requires too much effort if you are not used to it. Now of course, I love to listen to it the way you describe it and, I can truly confirm this to anyone who is undecided about listening to it, this symphony is really musically life changing. If I really let myself go, the finale is one of the few pieces that really drives me to tears of joy and blessed exhaustion (and, by the way, I am deeply atheist!) I don't know if you made the right choice in not quoting the music from the finale, I was waiting for it, but may be you are right. Anyways, thankx for this intro, I will use it to properly present this symphony to an interested friend.
When listening to Mahler's music, surely this 2nd, i can hardly imagine someone composing music of such beauty. My favorites: 2, 4, 5. Thx for the video.
Cannot get enough of this symphony! Is a MASTERPIECE.... give it time, you won’t regret it My favourite version now Simon Rattle directing City of Birmingham Symphony (EMI 1987)
Mahler #2 is not only a religious experience but one can only marvel at Mahler's emotional output and how he transcends it into evocative music. A genius
Great podcast/analysis! I first heard this in 2016 and it was wonderful. However, the orchestra only played the first movement. I remembered the concert several months later after seeing a clip of the New York Phil. during the brass chorale in the finale, and decided to listen to the entire symphony on UA-cam... I was completely blown away. The work moved me in a way that music had never moved me before. The final movement, in particular, gave me chills throughout, made my heart stop, and nearly brought me to tears. I became obsessed with the symphony for months. I could never get the themes out of my head and I had to listen to it over and over again and I loved it! I studied the score, sang along with the bass part in the choir, and played along on the 1st trombone part, which I can play most of by memory. It is still my favorite orchestral work. New York Philharmonic - brass chorale: ua-cam.com/video/jpngMjN6fmQ/v-deo.html I usually watch Bernstein conducting the London Phil. I just love watching him conduct! ua-cam.com/video/Bdc5n562zZg/v-deo.html
Thank you for this, it was so illuminating. I know the work really well (I'm almost OCD fixated on Mahler and Wagner) and my ears recognise the themes and my heart recognises the passion, the beauty, the horror, and the sheer wonder of it, but your context has added something more and I want to tell you so. Thanks again. As another commentor mentions, I would love to hear your analysis of a Mahler Six.
Thank you for this analysis! Well do I remember my first experience with this piece. I sang in a performance of this piece several years ago, but for some reason had neglected to listen to the work as a whole prior to production week, so the first time I heard the whole work was in rehearsal with the orchestra. I nearly couldn't sing when the finale came, so moved was I. Thus this has become one of my favorite pieces of music.
I really understand that feeling! I sang in a national choir which performed this symphony about three times and when it came to the choir's entry I always found it difficult to sing because of my emotional response to what had come before. It's a difficult entry anyway because the Mahler's instructions are "pianissimo". All in all a life-affirming experience. I think Mozart's Requiem (which we also sang several times) was more difficult. I was actually crying when we came to Confutatis and Lacrymosa. It's impossible to sing and cry simultaneously!!! Still, unforgettable experiences and I was lucky enough to be able to participate.
My first brush with Mahler. Thank you for "Why Listen to Mahler" and the record recommendations. They are all most invaluable toward my appreciation for Mahler and I shall surely take your advice. Thank you again.
I would love to have a similar series, about the different composers themselves. While you were talking about Mahlers Story I realized, how important it is to get to know the composers themselves to understand their music. In my opinion that wouldn't only be great for people trying to discover classical music for the first time, but also for musicians, so they can improve their interpretations, knowing the composers intension.
@@gregoryf4186 you know i was joking at the time but now i unironically much prefer it also i prefer sibelius 2, ralph vaughan williams 2 please just ignore me friends i just dont like mahler 2 that much lololol
Great podcast, thank you very much! I know Mahler very well - but listening to your description of the finale of the 5th movement just brought tears in my eyes, becase I exactely knew what you were talking about without even listening to it! And thanx for recomending my favorite recording (Rattle/CBSO) - but looks like I will have to listen to the Berlin version as well. All best!
Greetings from Brazil! Tk for this explanation. Mahler can touch hearts and minds as few composers. His tragic and turbulent life made a absolutely transcendental and mystic music, universal but tremendously human music. Sorry about bad english.
My favorite is the proms concert with Gustavo Dudamel at the Royal Albert Hall with the Simon Bolivar youth orchestra, Anna Larchen and Mia Faschen simging-sounds like the music of heaven ♥️
Many people dont know that the first movement already existed as "Totenfeier" by Mahler. He chaned a bit for the Symphony. I actually like the first version more.
Congrats! I love this symphony and you succeeded in trying to make it as a take. I appreciated you didn’t play the finale. You couldn’t have stop it anytime. I love your passion, thank you, I felt close to you, even if don’t know you, and in some moments, I confess, I got moved. Because Mahler was a great feelings mover. Thank you.
What a great video. This is my favorite symphony of my favorite composer. This Epic symphony is a gift to our humans. I never get tired of listening to this. My dream is to become a conductor and of couse I will definitely conduct this Amazing,Wonderful,Epic,Gorgeous symphony (oh.In fact "Words are not enough to describe this music". Again Thank you so much for uploading this.
Thanks for this podcast! Words are not enough to describe such a masterpiece. Live performances of this symphony are truly a sensorial and mental experience. Would like to see something of Shostakovich, he's definitely another genius not very famous outside concertgoers!
Gustav Mahler discouraged his wife Alma Mahler from composing, something which she had loved doing since her youth. This led Alma into severe depression due to a restriction on her need for creative expression. This caused great strain on their marriage and then led to Alma’s affair with famed architect Walter Gropius. Towards the end of his life, Gustav Mahler tried to reconcile with Alma by championing her compositions and working to get them published. However, he died before their marriage could be fully healed.
Like many obsessive and oversensitive geniuses, Mahler was most likely a difficult man to live with on a daily basis, somewhat like bipolar persons are. But with all his personality defects, he certainly was a man worth supporting and she sacrificed her own creative energy to dedicate her life to him. His life was also filled with setbacks, first professionnally when he had to face antisemitic attacks on his career, then personnally when their daughter died, and finally when he learned about his uncurable heart disease. These downturns of fate affected his mood for the worse and she was still at her side, until she couldn't anymore, and found some comfort in the arms of Walter Gropius. Hard to blame her, but when he learned about it, it surely felt like a betrayal for him.
I found your UA-cam channel only recently and love your program so much. They help me a lot to understand and get familiar with symphonies. Interestingly on Mahler 2 you mentioned Verdi Requiem which I’m singing with a choir in recent months. Thank you!
I've been enjoying your videos for some time now, and I just want to thank you for this incredible and enthusiastic intro to Mahler! So enjoyable and just what I needed to finally sink my teeth into his works. Thank you.
Thanks so much for this analysis of Mahler 2. Your description of the work should inspire interest to those who are not familiar with this composer. Me? I'M A MAHLERIAN UNTIL THE END OF TIME! And perhaps, after. God bless you and BRAVO! An outstanding presentation.
Wow I really like this video! Your videos have disappeared from my UA-cam recommended feed for quite a while now (Which is where I go first when I open UA-cam), so I'm glad I can now listen to them via podcasts! :)
As an agnostic myself, I can honestly say that Mahler's music is nothing short of a religious experience for me. I had the privilege of singing the choral part in this many years ago, and could barely get through each performance without becoming completely overwhelmed. I got emotional just watching this video! "Life-changing" is absolutely correct.
Historical Evidence for the Son of God Jesus Christ and his Ressurection:
Flavius Josephus 1st Century Historian - Testified of Jesus Christs Existance and Ressurection
Tacitus, Roman Historian wrote between 115 - 117ad - Testified of Jesus Christ's Existence.
Jewish Biblical Literature, Tanakh Period 70-200ad Sanhedrin 43a - Testified Jesus Christ Existed and Death.
The last 10 minutes of Mahler 2 is the greatest music ever existed on the Earth.
It's absolutely unbelievable that his 8th is these 10 minutes but 80 minutes long. The 2nd is a prequel to the 8th in every way
@@f.p.2010 Exactly this...his 8th rips my soul apart, my heart breaks into millions of pieces. And then, when you think things will go wrong, the universe shines the brightest it has ever shone.
To paraphrase "All that is human and is perishable is merely a reflection of reality...All that man could never obtain is here achieved...The inspiration of love draws us forwards and up into eternity."
But these 10 mn couldn't exist without the 30 mn before. It's one huge crescendo of cosmological proportions.
yeah and sometimes i am sure and i think it is a pity and quite disappointing:
there will never come any better in my life than hearing the ending in my local church while sitting 1m away from the strings and soprano and getting the organ sounds from the back.
Indeed!!
I have just listened to the whole symphony. No words can do it justice. Thank you so much for exposing me to this wonderful piece of music!
Good!!! It's an incredible work. So glad I could get even one person to listen to it
Inside the Score This video was perfectly timed for me. I became obsessed with Mahler (via Mahler 2) a couple months back. Then, I got to see it performed by the Cleveland Orchestra. It was absolutely perfect.
Well if you like this, just go for the Big OOMPF that is Mahler 9
Noud. Definitely mate. Along with the final of DLVDE. But I reckon you would have already thought that.
@@smeetsnoud1 not as fifth
The thing I like the most about Mahler is that the core themes are so well integrated into the harmony and melody that each symphony kind of has a "feel" to it. Also very frequently a certain theme will start the same in 2 appearances of which but develop to distinct things, and this becomes very noticable as you listen and memorize the music (you hear a theme and then sing the continuation from previous appearances and then you realize it develops into something else, perhaps happier, perhaps more sad) - further emphasising the narrative.
I'm a 15 years old boy from Israel and my dream is to hear this live preformed by some great orchestra. Maybe one day.
Very true!
Good place to start..I think I was 18 years old the first time I heard this on a vinyl record I checked out from my public library, then about 4 years later I had the opportunity to hear it performed live.
Your English is excellent. Are your parents Anglo? Would like to read the same ideas in your Ivrit. That would be interesting.
Four years ago you wrote this fascinating post. Now in 2024 I imagine you would be an outstanding young man. Your musical appreciation and the dream you describe I hope have led you to a bright, deeply satisfying life bounding with music that feeds your spirit and delights your soul, mind and heart.
I know this video is 2 years old. But, I have just played this on second Timpani , the first full orchestra concert post COVID and my god, I have never felt so breathless in any piece of music ever. I recommend anyone, whatever the background, to listen to this Symphony at least once live
As a musician, I began my live of Mahler with his 1st back in 1966. I was invited to the Proms this year into a box and drinks and dinner afterwards. Spiritually moving, as always, but being dumped by the love of my life on 31 December 2021, I've never recovered but I continue to play, paint, photograph and write, always with an existential sadness. The sheeple-infested Brexitland will never open to high art music. I've spent my life championing high art music thatvmakes people better human beings
@@mozartsbumbumsrus7750 How are you man? Are you doing better? I hope you are alright.
@filiz yüksel Thanks for your concern. Doing better? To what are you referring? I'm productive and perfecting my technique in the pursuit of happiness in spite of all the idiots.
@@mozartsbumbumsrus7750 Good for you!! I wish you the best.
@@filizyuksel5771 Thanks. Could be worse. It could be raining.....
All of Mahler's works effect me.
They are profound and incredibly powerful. His music seeks, awakening the soul to wonder. It asks the penultimate questions. Is there more? Is it all a vast and terrible joke? It consoles, it destroys, it transcends.
These days, not many are going to church. Mahler is an important musical link to the spiritual side of humankind. It goes to show, while we may have lost God, we still need the kind of spiritual depth that Mahler provides.
You don't have to go to church to believe and worship God, if You lost Him, He will be happy to have you back, even in this symphony some of the words are "You are from God, return to God"
Well put , Ken !
The first Mahler symphony I got into. I still remember when I heard it on the radio in the early 80s, it just blew me away. I went out the next day , bought it and listened to it over and over. I sometimes feel I could conduct this myself, I'm that familiar with it. A wonderful symphony, a whole world in itself, and what an ending. Thanks for this , you've made me want to hear an old friend again.
I just finished listening to the whole symphony and I am simply blown away - I had tears in my eyes, goosebumps and an overall feeling of awe... Thank you for "opening the door" to Mahler's beautiful and powerful music , this guide really creates an appetite for more :-)
Dude, where have you been all my life? I was in the chorus for a performance of Mahler's Eighth Sym. about 3 years ago. His symphonies are such amazing journies. The Universe was Mahler's inspiration. "Das Lied des Universum"
I think Mahler might have been the inspiration for the Universe.
Mahler's Second is my all time favorite symphony. I have had the joy of singing this twice with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and the Florida Orchestra. The first time, I could barely get through the chorus without weeping. I have also sung Beethoven's ninth 4 times, and I love it, but Mahler 2 is Beethoven's 9th on steroids! I am a huge Mahler fan. Any day with Mahler in it is a GOOD day!
I love how you described it.
This symphony is the reason why I want to sing in a chorus❤
My favorite symphony ever
I first heard this symphony at orchestra hall with the Chicago Symphony under Georg Solti. I was unprepared for its emotional impact. The final movement left me in tears. I always regarded this piece as sacred and would listen to it only when I had the time to hear it properly.
Solti was also my first experience and................ I too had tears in my eyes.
Agreed-so intensely dramatic and beautiful, not for casual listening
Solti and the Chicago Symphony playing Mahler's 1st,2nd,5th.7th or 8th just does not get any better.Being a musician The chicago was known for having a supreb brass section in the 80's and 90's.Maybe not as good today but back then...wow! I heard them play the 2nd in the early 90's on an NPR broadcast,the best brass i have ever heard on any broadcast!
Solti is my absolute favorite. That CSO Brass section during his time… my goodness!
I vividly remember deciding to just play Mahler's 2nd symphony while writing an essay at uni. I knew absolutely nothing about Mahler or the piece, I was just feeling like exploring something new. I wasn't really listening as I was focused on writing, but I was enjoying some of passages. Then the last 15 minutes came with the choir and then the finale and it genuinely felt like being hit by a truck in your soul. From then on I just sat back in awe. It is one of the only moments I can say I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by a piece of art. Disgustingly devastating piece of music I absolutely can't wait to see it live.
The finale of Mahler 2 indeed changed my life
Every Mahler symphony is a masterpiece. 9, 3, and 2 are my favorites though if I had to pick.
What an amazing work this is! Played it many years ago (I'm a cellist). Exhilerating and exhausting! Epic in scope and so rewarding as a musician. Learning it was a beast and a half, but when all the notes, all the parts, all the cueing comes together... Words can't describe it... Talk about the "power of music! Yeah, you feel it right down to your dna! ❤❤
I was first introduced to this work as a singer in the chorus, and that was, in itself, an amazing experience. The director (Ozawa), the orchestra (Boston) and the hall (Davies in San Francisco) only increased the intensity of this work.
My favourite symphony! Thanks for covering this one.
I love not only listening to Mahler, but also playing his music. As a double bassist, many composers often just put the root or third of the chord in our part, but Mahler really writes fun double bass parts
Well as a double bassist the bass line is the most important part in harmony so idk why people don’t like playing a “typical bass part”. Just because you’re not playing melodic content doesn’t mean the part is not impactful. Although I agree, playing Mahler is extremely fun.
Trust me. Mahler loves double basses. You are greatly used in texture as well as the melody so you’re lucky on bass. But I may be wrong because I play flute and piccolo, not bass so point me out if I am wrong.
super nice pfp by the way, pretty cool to know that there are also cubers who enjoy classical music!
Your abundant knowledge of English language, and the tone of voice, and the passion IS a redemption of some sort. For those who understand nothing in classics. And especially in Mahler. And especially for those who THINK they understand Mahler. Kisses. ❤❤❤
I first heard Mahler’s 2nd, 1st Movement in a creative writing class in high school. I just closed my eyes and saw something just cinematic. Heroes, villains, love interests, victory, defeat.. I had to listen to the rest of it. It’s an overwhelming piece of art.
The way you draw the themes out and explain them is brilliant. This work became a favorite after I was lucky enough to be in the chorus for a performance... you taught me a whole bunch of stuff I hadn't seen and gave me a deeper appreciation of this piece. Thank You!
It's been almost two years since I first got into classical music. I was 15, listening to Liszt's Liebestraum no.3.
Since then, I've discovered more and more, and I thought I had hit the plateau of peak emotion at opera. I thought there was no more, but I'm so glad to discover how wrong I was!
Thanks for presenting us to that masterpiece
Wow, it’s been almost two years for me too... I started with the basics - Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff - and have been in my Mahler phase for a good 6 months now. It’s astonishing stuff.
Opera was also my way in to emotional immersion in classical music
As someone without a deep understanding of music, I totally agree with your advice. I listened to the magnificent finale at first, and then was drawn further back into the symphony, until after a while I was able to take the whole journey. I used the word journey before I had ever read it described as such, because that is exactly how it feels. By the end of a great performance you arrive exhausted and elated. I have seen it performed many times, most recently by the brilliant Vasily Petrenko.
Thank you for this summary. I will now investigate Sonata form, and maybe gain even deeper satisfaction from this staggering piece of art.
The end to Mahler's 2nd changed me forever, and I only listened to the last 15 minuets before even properly experiencing the whole thing. Today I am about to complete my 10th Mahler cycle including all of his works and also Hans Rott, the Piano Quartett, all of the song cycles including the Three Songs for Tenor, and even his 10th.
I was fortuitous enough to listen and discover this symphony for the very first time live. Although I was already familiar with Mahler's 5th and 1st, this was definitely a life changing experience, shaking me to my core. It remains to this day my personal favourite symphony and one of the few times I actually cried in a concert.
I was lucky to hear Mahler Second live many years ago in Cleveland, OH. It is a massive piece and it is long and it is complicated and it is in German. At the end of the concert, I felt that the symphony was probably among the greatest musci written but I was lost. My brain is too small to take in so much stuffs. Unfortunately, the greatest music cannot be easily reached by the average people. Thank you for this guide which is more effective than reading a book before going to the concert.
Thanks for this video about a fantastic composition. This symphony was actually my introduction to Mahler. I had heard disparaging comments about his music from a high school friend who played horn, but hadn't actually listened to any. When I got a recording of this symphony, it was a total revelation ... and it led me to depend less on friends' opinions about music!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Especially your comments at the end. // I played Mahler 2 several times as a percussionist under Manny Laureano (principle trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra), as conductor of the Minnesota Youth Symphony. // This piece was of seminal influence the my life.. I feel I know every note by heart. It's impacted me in a way nothing else has.
I just played this with my unis orchestra and it was a true religious experience to play as the concert was the first time we all heard it in full together with choir and it was absolutely angelic with lots of sobs after
For me the most moving part of the symphony is "Urlicht". A subtle whisper of hope in a world of caos
You forgot to mention Amsterdam as one of the main centers of classical music in the world. Mahler spent extended periodes of time in Amsterdam, conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for years, and called Amsterdam ‘his second musical home’. Hence we have a massive Mahler tradition here in Amsterdam that should be honored, just as our city itself. Amsterdam, one of the capitals of true human and spiritual freedom in the world that is a guiding light and inspiration to so many in the world, that goes way bevond ‘drugs and hookers and flowers’. Amsterdam = freedom to the level of as free as it gets in ‘the civilized world’, and even beyond. Besides that, thank you for this and your channel. I subscibed.
I heard it twice live in one day in Aspen. A couple years later I got to perform it. As transcendent as it is to hear, playing it is even more intense and transcendent.
Thank You very much for this great series of podcasts!
I have absolutely love and enjoy them!
I didn’t think you would do Mahler right away, and boy it was phenomenal!
I just love what you are doing!
Thank You!
I sang the "Resurrection" as a member of "my" choir. Back in 2016. It's just great.
This was just wonderful. I have listened to the 2rd for years, and every time I am amazed. I cannot get thought the last 20 minutes of the last movement without crying, it is so beautiful, like heaven itself. I think Mahler himself said that he didn't know how he wrote it; some force working though him. I feel like I could study this music for the rest of my life, and still not comprehend it all. Many thanks.
I, too, share your all-consuming passion for Mahler. That passion comes across beautifully in how reverently you speak of the master, almost as if he is a deity himself. That`s understandable; he composed like one! I know a trumpet player who performed in the Pittsburgh Symphony years ago and he lists this as his favorite Mahler symphony.
You’re the Deeryck Cook of Mahler, maestro!! Thank you for imparting your insight and beautiful words: “be alone and undisturbed....no distractions...” can’t wait to see your video on Mahler’s 5th and 6th
I think Deryck Cooke is the Deryck Cooke of Mahler...!
Inside the Score who? 😂🤣
@@mrplatink Deryck Cooke famously completed Mahler's 10th Symphony (which was unfinished on Mahler's death). And has written some great essays on Mahler
31:58: They sing the poem "Auferstehung" by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock with some amendments by Mahler:
Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n wirst du,
mein Staub, nach kurzer Ruh’!
Unsterblich’ Leben! Unsterblich’ Leben
wird der dich rief, dich rief, dir geben!
Wieder aufzublüh’n, wirst du gesä’t!
Wieder aufzublüh’n, wirst du gesä’t!
Der Herr der Ernte, der Herr der Ernte geht
und sammelt Garben uns ein, die starben.
O glaube! Mein Herz, o glaube:
Es geht dir nichts verloren!
Dein ist, Dein ja Dein, was du gesehnt!
Dein, was du geliebt, was du gestritten!
O glaube: Du wardst nicht umsonst geboren!
Hast nicht umsonst gelebt, gelitten!
O Schmerz! Du Alldurchdringer!
Dir bin ich entrungen!
O Tod! Du Allbezwinger!
Nun bist du bezwungen!
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen,
in heißem Liebesstreben
werd’ ich entschweben
zum Licht, zu dem kein Aug’ gedrungen!
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen,
werde ich entschweben!
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen,
werde ich entschweben!
Sterben werd’ ich, um zu leben!
Sterben werd’ ich, um zu leben!
Aufersteh’n, ja aufersteh’n
wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu!
Was du geschlagen, was du geschlagen,
zu Gott, zu Gott, zu Gott wird es dich tragen!
www0.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Symphony_No._2_in_C_minor_(%22Resurrection%22)_(Gustav_Mahler)
I live within walking distance of the Eastman School Of Music where I was a composition major. Samuel Adler was chair of the department.
My violin teacher and high school orchestra conductor was an Eastman grad..Richard Holden..he encouraged my love of great music!
Agree! Mahler's music in general and the final of #2, speaks to the heart. The recording with Dudamel with Göteborg Symphony and Rattle's recording with the Berling Symphnoy, are transformational (and entertaining to see!), indeed. Leaves no one untouched. Thanks.
I totally memorized every word of the final chorus so I can sing it with the choir. That's how I love this piece😃
I'm very glad to hear this breakdown of Mahler's resurection symphony. Thanks for doing this!
I have had the privilege of singing in this symphony twice, once with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Now, I cannot help but cry every time I get to the finale when listening. The way the themes are teased little by little until then creates the most satisfying and powerful payoff I have ever heard.
You know when you lost something and found it - doesn't matter if it was ages before you did, or seconds later - you know that feeling? I had this experience just now. When I was thirteen, I heard the last movement of this symphony and never realised that it was Mahler's Resurrection. Then I looked for it for ages. Fortunately I clicked on this and listened to the advice. And yes, it was the last movement of the symphony that I heard ages ago. Beethoven composed an imposing mass to express his faith, but man, Mahler opened a portal and said, "Here. Step in and experience."
Incredible. By the only the second episode, you have hit your stride, and, by god, is it an impressive stride. Your analysis, presentation, insight, and pace is impeccable, and I simply cannot wait to listen to the other episodes. Although you mentioned that you don't have much time nowadays, I cannot phathom the amount of preparation and editing this would have taken as a 37 minute audio recording.
My comments and constructive criticisms on the first episode are now irrelevant after finally understanding how well your episodes are constructed.
I will now listen to Mahler's 2nd Symphony, one of my favourites, equipped with your insights. Unfortunately, I never sat down and truly listened to the 1.5 hour symphony in one go, and for that, I think it's emotional and spiritual weight did not have as much impact on me as it appeared to have on you or others in the chat. Without a doubt, I imagine this will change with a full listen. Moreover, in a year's time, I will be attending a season finale of Mahler's 2nd with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and I don't think I have felt this much anticipation in years. Thank you!
You're very kind, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it!
Love your work man. I've listened to the planets about 3 times since the last video, and will definitely go now and listen to Resurrection. Thanks
So happy you're going to listen to these things - makes it worthwhile
It was the first Mahler symphony I experienced. Almost 30 years ago. I was only 16. Life hasn't been the same since.
I've loved this symphony since I was in my twenties some 40 years ago. About 10 years ago, I got to sing in the choir although I'm not really a serious musician and I can just barely read music. I really worked on it on my own, which was not "work" at all! At the first public performance, I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't make any sound when we sang "Auferstehung". It didn't help that it was the symphony season finale and the conductor's last performance as music director as he would be moving on to a new orchestra, and of course, I had friends and family in the audience. There is no greater work of music IMO with the possible exception of the 8th. That would be another dream to sing in, and it is on my bucket list. Great podcast!
Benjamin Zander, the conductor of an ensemble I recently performed Mahler 2 with, suggests the horn calls in the 5th movement are to suggest to size of the universe. With both horns being offstage, and one an echo and noteably quieter than the other, Mahler is suggesting the enormous scale of the universe, especially when used in "Der Grosse Appell" (or The Great Call) in the fifth movement
Fantastic video. I could listen to you talk about music all day long, thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and passion with us!!
"Couldn't you just die without Mahler?" Educating Rita
Hahaha
Everyone before ~ 1880 did...
This is a piece of music that I've listened to many times over many years. Thanks for the video, I have learned some things from it about this symphony.
This is fantastic. I am discovering your earlier works, thank you for this. A treat to listen to & learn.
love it! I need more episodes... maybe one on Mahler #5 :)
If I could marry a piece
oh *my god* Symphony number 5.
This was my personal introduction to Mahler's music, fifty years ago; my love affair with his music has not waned. I so get your enthusiasm for this musical miracle, and appreciate your deep and reverent knowledge of him and his gifts.💐
OMG Thank you so much I Love Mahler All of his pain and suffering went into his work. He was brilliant and Leonard Bernstein knew this and loved his powerful compositions. Thanks for this informative podcast on the Resurrection
My favorite part of this video is that you never have inserted the finale. It is, to my opinion, the greatest piece of music, and that you say to find "your perfect recording of Mahler 2", while managing to not spoil it, is a masterwork unto itself.
I was initially skeptical of this symphony feeling that it really couldn’t be as good as many people had hyped it up to be, but it turns out it’s one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. I refrain from listening to it as much as possible to have it be a journey without know it’s parts in my mind like other pieces.
I wish I could listen to it more often, but it is just too emotionally devastating. Just thinking about the finale makes me cry. It's just so unbelievably amazing.
I love Rattle doing this. I was lucky enough to see Tovey doing this at the Orpheum in Vancouver, but I missed his final performance there due to a family funeral last year. Thanks for this wonderful video!
Saw Maher 2 at the Albert Hall by RPO a couple of weeks ago, massive orchestra, huge choirs second small orchestra in the gods. Fantastic. the walk back to the tube and the journey along the district line was like being on a supporters train if you'd just watched your team win a cup final, the people who'd been to the concert were completely hyped all the way. Fabulous.
Great great video! i have studied this symphony for a long time but still this was very interesting to listen to. So glad that someome says how amazingly great this work was. Maybe after a few episodes of other works you'll come back to mahler and try to get into 3rd or 9th or 6th for the complete crazyness. Thanks for your content !
Very good presentation of this undescribable work! I do agree with almost everything you said.
What I am not sure of is that you said this symphony is "accessible". I don't think, from my own experience, that it is. If I think about suggesting this smphony to a friend who is not into classical music, I can easily foresee a "what? one hour long piece?? never!". I guess this symphony is too much at the beginning. A whiel ago (25 years I guess) I was madly exploring classical music on my own, listening to everything I could and I distinctly remember my Abbado version, so long that it was split in two discs, and I never had the will to listen to the second part! It requires too much effort if you are not used to it.
Now of course, I love to listen to it the way you describe it and, I can truly confirm this to anyone who is undecided about listening to it, this symphony is really musically life changing. If I really let myself go, the finale is one of the few pieces that really drives me to tears of joy and blessed exhaustion (and, by the way, I am deeply atheist!)
I don't know if you made the right choice in not quoting the music from the finale, I was waiting for it, but may be you are right.
Anyways, thankx for this intro, I will use it to properly present this symphony to an interested friend.
YESSS. Couldn't have made my day any better.
I can also recommend the Wiener Philharmoniker recording with Kaplan. Generally well balanced with a high fidelity and overall high quality :)
When listening to Mahler's music, surely this 2nd, i can hardly imagine someone composing music of such beauty. My favorites: 2, 4, 5. Thx for the video.
Absolutely loving these! Thank you so so much for making them!
Cannot get enough of this symphony! Is a MASTERPIECE.... give it time, you won’t regret it
My favourite version now Simon Rattle directing City of Birmingham Symphony (EMI 1987)
Mahler’s 9th and the Adagio of the 10th is his best work
Agreed, but this is very close behind.
Mahler #2 is not only a religious experience but one can only marvel at Mahler's emotional output and how he transcends it into evocative
music. A genius
Great podcast/analysis! I first heard this in 2016 and it was wonderful. However, the orchestra only played the first movement. I remembered the concert several months later after seeing a clip of the New York Phil. during the brass chorale in the finale, and decided to listen to the entire symphony on UA-cam...
I was completely blown away.
The work moved me in a way that music had never moved me before. The final movement, in particular, gave me chills throughout, made my heart stop, and nearly brought me to tears. I became obsessed with the symphony for months. I could never get the themes out of my head and I had to listen to it over and over again and I loved it! I studied the score, sang along with the bass part in the choir, and played along on the 1st trombone part, which I can play most of by memory. It is still my favorite orchestral work.
New York Philharmonic - brass chorale: ua-cam.com/video/jpngMjN6fmQ/v-deo.html
I usually watch Bernstein conducting the London Phil. I just love watching him conduct! ua-cam.com/video/Bdc5n562zZg/v-deo.html
Thank you for this, it was so illuminating. I know the work really well (I'm almost OCD fixated on Mahler and Wagner) and my ears recognise the themes and my heart recognises the passion, the beauty, the horror, and the sheer wonder of it, but your context has added something more and I want to tell you so. Thanks again. As another commentor mentions, I would love to hear your analysis of a Mahler Six.
I’m a huge fan of Mahler, thank you SO much for doing this!
Thank you for this analysis! Well do I remember my first experience with this piece. I sang in a performance of this piece several years ago, but for some reason had neglected to listen to the work as a whole prior to production week, so the first time I heard the whole work was in rehearsal with the orchestra. I nearly couldn't sing when the finale came, so moved was I. Thus this has become one of my favorite pieces of music.
I really understand that feeling! I sang in a national choir which performed this symphony about three times and when it came to the choir's entry I always found it difficult to sing because of my emotional response to what had come before. It's a difficult entry anyway because the Mahler's instructions are "pianissimo". All in all a life-affirming experience.
I think Mozart's Requiem (which we also sang several times) was more difficult. I was actually crying when we came to Confutatis and Lacrymosa. It's impossible to sing and cry simultaneously!!! Still, unforgettable experiences and I was lucky enough to be able to participate.
I am happy with one musical idea, but for every one of my ideas, Mahler has a 100.
My first brush with Mahler. Thank you for "Why Listen to Mahler" and the record recommendations. They are all most invaluable toward my appreciation for Mahler and I shall surely take your advice. Thank you again.
I would love to have a similar series, about the different composers themselves. While you were talking about Mahlers Story I realized, how important it is to get to know the composers themselves to understand their music.
In my opinion that wouldn't only be great for people trying to discover classical music for the first time, but also for musicians, so they can improve their interpretations, knowing the composers intension.
This is the best "Symphony no 2" ever written by any composer
nah beethoven obviously
@@weewee2169 lol
@@weewee2169Beethoven 2 is no where near this lol
@@gregoryf4186
you know i was joking at the time but now i unironically much prefer it
also i prefer sibelius 2, ralph vaughan williams 2
please just ignore me friends i just dont like mahler 2 that much lololol
@@weewee2169 fair, I understand Sibelius, but for me Mahler 2 is peak. To each their own though
Great podcast, thank you very much! I know Mahler very well - but listening to your description of the finale of the 5th movement just brought tears in my eyes, becase I exactely knew what you were talking about without even listening to it!
And thanx for recomending my favorite recording (Rattle/CBSO) - but looks like I will have to listen to the Berlin version as well.
All best!
Greetings from Brazil!
Tk for this explanation. Mahler can touch hearts and minds as few composers. His tragic and turbulent life made a absolutely transcendental and mystic music, universal but tremendously human music.
Sorry about bad english.
Dvorak's 9th or Shostakovich's 10th would be interesting.
Yes!
Former to me
My favorite is the proms concert with Gustavo Dudamel at the Royal Albert Hall with the Simon Bolivar youth orchestra, Anna Larchen and Mia Faschen simging-sounds like the music of heaven ♥️
Many people dont know that the first movement already existed as "Totenfeier" by Mahler. He chaned a bit for the Symphony. I actually like the first version more.
Thank you, very much for the info!
He premiered the resurrection before totenfeier though
In sad times I return to this symphony. It has ability to heal soul.
I just listened to this live yesterday. I will remember the experience of listening to the 5th movement for the rest of my life.
Yes, this is one of my favourite pieces of music ever
Congrats! I love this symphony and you succeeded in trying to make it as a take. I appreciated you didn’t play the finale. You couldn’t have stop it anytime. I love your passion, thank you, I felt close to you, even if don’t know you, and in some moments, I confess, I got moved. Because Mahler was a great feelings mover. Thank you.
Please do Bruckner's 7th symphony next episode
safa saleh Or maybe Bruckner’s 8th? :P
I’d choose the 8th, and Bruckner is not given the credit he deserves.
What a great video. This is my favorite symphony of my favorite composer. This Epic symphony is a gift to our humans. I never get tired of listening to this. My dream is to become a conductor and of couse I will definitely conduct this Amazing,Wonderful,Epic,Gorgeous symphony (oh.In fact "Words are not enough to describe this music".
Again Thank you so much for uploading this.
Thanks for this podcast! Words are not enough to describe such a masterpiece. Live performances of this symphony are truly a sensorial and mental experience.
Would like to see something of Shostakovich, he's definitely another genius not very famous outside concertgoers!
We greatly appreciate your analysis respecting both the personal and historic perspective. ☺️
Gustav Mahler discouraged his wife Alma Mahler from composing, something which she had loved doing since her youth. This led Alma into severe depression due to a restriction on her need for creative expression. This caused great strain on their marriage and then led to Alma’s affair with famed architect Walter Gropius. Towards the end of his life, Gustav Mahler tried to reconcile with Alma by championing her compositions and working to get them published. However, he died before their marriage could be fully healed.
Her music was pretty sub-par, though. She was the Yoko to Mahler's John.
Never meet your heroes. Even Dr Seuss drove his wife to suicide.
She had many years after Mahler's death to compose music. Did she?
Like many obsessive and oversensitive geniuses, Mahler was most likely a difficult man to live with on a daily basis, somewhat like bipolar persons are. But with all his personality defects, he certainly was a man worth supporting and she sacrificed her own creative energy to dedicate her life to him.
His life was also filled with setbacks, first professionnally when he had to face antisemitic attacks on his career, then personnally when their daughter died, and finally when he learned about his uncurable heart disease. These downturns of fate affected his mood for the worse and she was still at her side, until she couldn't anymore, and found some comfort in the arms of Walter Gropius. Hard to blame her, but when he learned about it, it surely felt like a betrayal for him.
Please Mahler 6 too 😍😍😍 very good video ✌🏻
I found your UA-cam channel only recently and love your program so much. They help me a lot to understand and get familiar with symphonies. Interestingly on Mahler 2 you mentioned Verdi Requiem which I’m singing with a choir in recent months. Thank you!
The choir in this one is unbelievable.
Bird On The Wire by L.Cohen and Finale of Mahler 2nd - the only two pieces of music that bring me to tears.
An excellent insight into Mahler's work, thanks for posting. Learnt so much from your guide to Mahler and his Symphony No. 2.
Thank you for putting into such eloquent words the way this symphony makes me feel. A beautiful exploration of the music.
I've been enjoying your videos for some time now, and I just want to thank you for this incredible and enthusiastic intro to Mahler! So enjoyable and just what I needed to finally sink my teeth into his works. Thank you.
Thanks so much for this analysis of Mahler 2. Your description of the work should inspire interest to those who are not familiar with this composer.
Me? I'M A MAHLERIAN UNTIL THE END OF TIME! And perhaps, after.
God bless you and BRAVO! An outstanding presentation.
Wow I really like this video! Your videos have disappeared from my UA-cam recommended feed for quite a while now (Which is where I go first when I open UA-cam), so I'm glad I can now listen to them via podcasts! :)