Mahler’s Grand Synthesis — The Eighth Symphony Tracks and clips 1. Introduction 4:30 a. Gregorian Chant, Veni Creator Spiritus, Schola gregoriana mediolanensis, Giovanni Vianini, cDhYGdK0KQg recorded 6/22/2009.* b. Charles Gounod, Faust, Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (YNS), Decca 0743811 recorded 12/10/2011. c. Gustav Mahler (GM), Symphony No. 8 in E, NY Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski (GM8S), New York Philharmonic ‘The Mahler Broadcasts’ recorded 4/9/1950. d. GM, Symphony No. 2 in c, Philadelphia Orchestra (PO), YNS, recorded 10/31/2014. 2. Vienna & Mahler in 1906 12:58 a. Franz Lehár, Die lustige Witwe, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackerman, Naxos 8.111007 recorded 4/16/1953.† b. Arnold Schoenberg (AS), Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9, PO, Christoph Eschenbach (CE), Philadelphia Orchestra Private Label (POpl) recorded 1/25/2007.‡ c. Richard Wagner, Lohengrin, PO, Eugene Ormandy, Victrola VIC-1500 recorded 4/30/1939. d. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (WAM), Così fan tutte, K. 588, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Alain Lombard, Musical Heritage Society MHS 3875/6/7, recorded 5/1977. e. WAM, Don Giovanni, K. 527, Vienna Philharmonic (VP), Bruno Walter (BW), Melodrama CD 37506 recorded 8/2/1937. f. Alexander Zemlinsky, Der Traumgörge, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Gerd Albrecht, Capriccio C10241-42 released 1988.† g. GM, Symphony No. 5 in c, PO, YNS, POpl recorded10/31/2010.‡ h. GM, Symphony No. 5 in c, piano transcription, GM, Welte-Mignon piano roll, Tacet 179 recorded 11/9/1905. i. WAM, Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Berlin Philharmonic, Karl Böhm, DGG 138 981/3 released 1965. j. WAM, Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, VP, BW, Andante 3981 recorded 8/19/1937. 3. The Motet 7:31 a. Kevin Puts, Trio Variations, Juliet Kang, Burchard Tang, Thomas Kraines, recorded 12/11/2009. b. Pérotin, Alleluia posui adiutorium, The Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier, ECM 1385 recorded 9/1988.◊ c. Johannes Ockeghem, Intemerata Dei mater, Musica Ficta, Bo Holten, Naxos 8.554260 recorded 2/17/1997.† d. Thomas Tallis, Spem in alium, Chapelle du Roi, Alistair Dixon, Signum SIGCD029 released 4/5/2004.† e. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Canticum canticorum, Magnificat, Phillip Cave, Linn BKD 174 recorded 2/1995.◊ f. Anton Bruckner, Vexilla regis, WAB 51, Dresdner Kreuzchor, Martin Flamig, Capriccio C10081 released 1987.◊ 4. Sonata-Allegro Form 4:44 All clips are Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 104 in D, H I:104, PO, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Philadelphia Orchestra broadcast recording 3/1/1993. 5. Mahler’s Eighth, Part I 14:53 All clips are GM8S. 6. The Cantata 8:39 a. Johann Sebastian Bach (JSB), Cantata 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, Manhattan School of Music, Emily S. Tepe, recorded 3/17/2004. b. Claudio Monteverdi, Settimo libro dei madrigali, Tempro la cetra, La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina, Glossa GCD 920927 recorded 2/1998.◊ c. Alessandro Scarlatti, O di Betlemme altera, The King’s Consort, Robert King, Hyperion CDH55354 recorded 2/7/1996.◊ d. JSB, Cantata 80 Ein feste Burg, Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, BIS BIS- CD-1421 recorded 9/6/2003.† e, f Beethoven, Ludwig van, Der glorreiche Augenblick, Op. 136, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Halary Davan Wetton, Naxos 8.572783 recorded 2/5/2011.† g. AS, A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46, CBC Symphony Orchestra, Robert Craft, Columbia M2S 679 released 1962. h. Benjamin Britten, Cantata academica, Op. 62, London Symphony Orchestra, George Malcolm, Heritage HTGCD236 recorded 1961.◊ 7. Mahler’s Eighth, Part II 15:22 All clips are from GM8S. 8. Mahler’s Eighth, Timbre & Style 5:11 a. George Frideric Handel, Messiah, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent, Angel 3598C, released 1959. b. GM, Symphony No 8 in E, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle, EMI LC 06646 recorded 6/5/2004. c. Giovanni Gabrieli, Plaudite omnis terra, E. Power Biggs, The Gregg Smith Singers, The Texas Boys’ Choir of Ft. Worth, The Edward Tarr Brass Ensemble, Columbia MS-7071 released 1968. d-i. GM op. cit. 9. Conclusion 4:33 a. Léonin, Repleti sunt omnes, Red Byrd, Helios CDH55338 recorded 4/19/2001.§ b. GM8S. Many of these recordings are available as downloads. * Free from youtube.com (precede the reference with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=). Paid from † eClassical.com, ‡ HDTracks.com, ◊ PrestoClassical.com, § Hyperion-records.co.uk. Thanks, Bibliography, Comments It required a lot of help. My review board was a huge part of it. Al Lesitsky always has the right recording, but he also directed me to Phyllis Zatlin, the source of the wonderfully snippy translation of Charles-Joseph’s famous bon mot about the Congress of Vienna. Stacy Dutton gave me an early hand up by affirming that my discussions of the various forms used in the piece were comprehensible. Stan Scordilis read the Goethe and provided the German translations. Connie, whose husband I am, not only had to listen to multiple attempts at everything, but did the graphics and screened my somewhat rough Latin translations. Finally, Sue Mileti, newly roped into these endeavors, gave me a second naïve listener audition. I’m very grateful to them all! It would be useless and tedious to give a full bibliography. If you want one, contact me through The Philadelphia Orchestra. But I must credit Henry-Louis de la Grange’s staggering, four volume, biography of Gustav Mahler. It runs over four thousand pages and, to top it all, is quite readable. It was invaluable. When The Orchestra asked me to do this, my heart nearly stopped. I love the piece, but understand it? You must be kidding. Six months later I believe that I understand it reasonably well from a musical standpoint, but I will never grasp Mahler’s intent. The 809 synod of Aix-la-Chapelle introduced filioque into the Nicene creed, stating that the holy spirit descends from the father (ex Patre) and from the son. Hrabanus wrote the hymn for that synod, that’s why it treats of salvation through divine grace, why it uses the word paraclitus. Faust’s lover is blameless save for her transgression with him. She is called to heaven and Faust will follow because of her love. We have a religious and a humanist statement. Mahler joins these, attempting to express love as a saving force for mankind. Or are they really joined? Constantin Floros wrote a standard text on Mahler’s symphonies. He worries for two pages over whether the Eighth is an example of parataxis (the juxtaposition of two unrelated parts: He drove a blue car; he went to the grocery), or a synthesis. Dizzying. The music is easier. Mahler managed to create a unified whole from very disparate parts. A great deal of theoretical time is spent over whether Part I is a sonata-allegro form using elements of a motet, or the other way around. My view is simple: long pieces must have internal form. This motet is long and it uses a form well adapted to long movements. What’s marvelous is the way he integrates it all and his masterful progress towards the blazing conclusion. After more than an hour-and-a-half one gets to the end and wishes that it would just go on and on. That’s an accomplishment! Just as astonishing is the accomplishment of the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra. They premiered this piece a century ago for this continent. Very few things in the world have remained the same, but their expertise and glorious sound has. This program is really dedicated to them. Mike Cone .