22 Nov 2019

MAHLER: Symphony No 2 in C minor, Resurrection

From Music Alive, 8:00 pm on 22 November 2019

“A symphony must be like the world; it must contain everything.” ~ Gustav Mahler

Lauren Snouffer (soprano), Anna Larsson (mezzo), Voices New Zealand, Orpheus Choir of Wellington, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edo de Waart.

  • Allegro maestoso
  • Andante moderato: Sehr gemächlich, nie eilen
  • In ruhig flieβender Bewegung
  • Urlicht
  • Im Tempo des Scherzos

When he stepped away from being Music Director of the NZSO, Edo de Waart chose this work for his farewell tour.

Edo de Waart

Edo de Waart Photo: ©Stephen A'Court Photography

He says, "I wanted to go out with a positive, optimistic piece of music and Resurrection has it all. It opens as if on the brink of an abyss and ends with an exhilarating rebirth. Mahler is similar to Beethoven in that their first symphonies, each written while they were in their late 20s, echoed other composers. They were not yet the singular composers we know today.
And just like Beethoven, Mahler’s impact with his Second Symphony was explosive. Resurrection made him famous and defined him as a unique voice. It is a masterpiece.

One of the many wonderful aspects to this magnificent symphony is Mahler’s inclusion of soloists and choir, the first of his works to do so.

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler Photo: Gustav Mahler before 1907

Resurrection is a colossal work, so requires more than 100 musicians and more than 120 choral singers to convey its immense scale."

But more than this, the thematic scope in Mahler’s Second reaches beyond what had ever been achieved before. As in Beethoven’s Ninth, Mahler’s Second is concerned with metaphysics, but with Mahler, he concentrates his efforts on emotional subtleties. This isn’t just about joy; this is about death, and life, and living. The closest analogue to the Second Symphony’s thematic scope is the 19th century novel. Vast literary masterpieces like Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina or Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations (all published during Mahler’s lifetime) attempted to do more than just tell an entertaining story; they all tried to capture the vast, roiling tumult of humanity itself. Of highborn and lowborn humans, living sometimes happily, sometimes miserably, whose lives, deaths and dilemmas mark out the authors’ own attitudes towards the world – this was what the 19th century novel was able to capture. Remarkably, Mahler’s Second Symphony achieves the same effect.

"Now enjoy more than 80 minutes of this extraordinary symphony.

As is sung in the fifth movement:
Cease from trembling!
Prepare yourself to live!"

Recorded 22 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert

Producer: David McCaw

Engineer: Darryl Stack

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