Mahler - Symphony no.2 "Resurrection" (movement 5): Score and Analysis
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- Fischer & Budapest festival orchestra
Introduction to the finale and the text can be found in the comments.
INTRODUCTION
0:00 - The movement opens with the scream of terror that we previewed in the third movement, only with added brass fanfares. As it collapses, the chaos and terror are replaced by a sublime and pastoral atmosphere, where we hear the first hints of the rising theme - for now still fragmented and very quiet.
EXPOSITION
1:50 - The brass fanfare heard in the scream is now transformed into a much more subtle horn call, calling forth the exposition material from far away. Its principal motives already get developed.
3:17 - Dies Irae, a chorale from the first movement is first to answer the call. For now, it is still without much power.
3:46 - The second part of the chorale features a noble rising melody - I'll refer to it as the Auferstehen motive.
4:16 - Horn call returns, now a little closer. The developed version of its triplet motive can be heard in a duet with its original statement.
5:32 - We reach an extremely passionate theme, which could be called the second subject in the sonata form. It consists of dissonant, stabbing, sigh-like gestures that overlap in the different instruments, gradually thickening the texture.
6:37 - Dies Irae returns, now in its base form - a brass chorale.
7:09 - Auferstehen.
7:48 - The horn call returns for the third time, this time very close. A new melody forms over the fanfares, which prefigures the rising theme, but it is quickly replaced by a developed version of the Auferstehen motive.
DEVELOPMENT
10:00 - Two violent timpani rolls transition us into the chaotic development section. Panic, dissonance, and polyphony are the keywords. This section is loosely based on the passionate second subject and the chaotic introduction.
10:44 - Dies Irae enters into the texture and starts to be transformed.
11:00 - Dies Irae finishes its transformation into a proud march. A melody based on the Auferstehen motive soon starts playing above it, rising to a climax.
12:31 - The chaos returns, starting to overpower the Dies Irae.
12:58 - Dies Irae returns with all of its might, and transforms the previous chaotic material into noble accompaniment.
13:23 - The second part of the chorale is revealed to be a quote from the first movement (Ab major heroic reimagining of the funeral march).
13:35 - The music starts to violently modulate, which leads back into chaos. Motives from the introduction return.
14:09 - The extremely passionate second subject takes the stage.
14:40 - The chaos from the previous section can be heard suppressed in the background, building an insane amount of tension, as we can only wait for it to explode.
15:37 - Chaos manages to invade the music, causing a storm of motives, and leading to the recapitulation of the introduction.
RECAPITULATION (wrong key)
16:03 - Scream.
16:20 - We are treated to extended snippets of the rising theme.
17:50 - The horn call again sounds from a great distance. This passage is greatly extended with the flute and piccolo joining the off-stage horns, calling forth the choir.
20:33 - In a sublime moment, the choir starts softly singing the Auferstehen motive, expanding the motive into a fully realized chorale. The soprano soon joins the choir, and gradually breaks through the texture.
22:15 - The horn call returns with more power. Snippets of the rising theme once again start to materialize over the fanfares, gradually gaining strength.
23:37 - The choir further elaborates on the Auferstehen motive. This once again leads to the soprano gradually breaking through the texture in another moment that should give you certified goosebumps.
25:19 - The rising theme appears for the first time in its entirety, however, it is still played at a very low volume.
26:57 - The passionate second subject is handed to the solo alto, making it even more intimate. Soon, it is freed from being able to only speak in stabbing fragments, as the soloist concludes the theme with a long, beautiful phrase.
28:24 - The choir returns to the Aufersehen motive. Through it, the music finally finds strength and delivers some very powerful statements. As it ends, the sonata portion of the movement is concluded.
CODA
29:54 - The rising theme finally moves to the foreground through a heavenly alto and soprano duet, slowly gaining power and expanding into colossal proportions. This section resembles the climax of the 4th movement.
30:33 - The rising theme is FINALLY sung by the full choir, and at the same time, we reach Eb major.
31:21 - Rising theme is fully realized in powerful statements, slowly rising to one of the most heavenly climaxes in classical music.
Mahler Symphony no.2 playlist: • Mahler - Symphony no.2... - เพลง
In the finale, we finally get answers to the questions set up by the first movement. The development section reminds us of all the suffering we’ve endured and witnessed before the recapitulation reassures us that all our suffering hasn’t been for nothing and that we’ll be united with God once again. I'm skeptical at calling this finale a judgment day, as is the popular belief, as Mahler’s God doesn’t judge at all. Rather, he blesses all living things with eternal love and offers them an everlasting, transcendent renewal.
When inspected from afar, the finale seems to be in a sonata form with instrumental exposition and development, and a recapitulation where the choir joins. However, if we take a closer look, we can see some crucial changes made to the sonata form that change its trajectory and purpose completely. The exposition for example doesn’t only introduce materials, but also develops and elaborates on its themes substantially - a role usually reserved for the development section. And in the development section, Mahler seems to take us out of the sonata form, as he greatly elaborates on the dissonant and chaotic world of the introduction. And now the job of the themes is to overcome the chaos and suffering of the development section by bringing the music safely back to the recapitulation. They go through many amazing transformations in a dramatic battle with chaos and dissonance, before finally succeeding at reaching the recapitulation - in the wrong key! In fact, the next half of the movement consists of even more elaboration on the themes by the choir, as they gradually come closer and closer to Eb major.
An even more subtle, but genius addition made to the sonata form, is the seamless integration of a theme (I’ll refer to it as “the rising theme”, as it consists of a simple descending fifth, followed by a sublime rising major scale) that is not directly included in the sonata itself. Instead, its hints and fragments are hidden in the texture, slowly gaining strength as the movement progresses. Mahler builds insane anticipation for a grandiose statement of the theme by making it just a bit more confident with each appearance. But it is only outside of the sonata space that the rising theme takes the foreground, slowly and sublimely rising to one of the most deservingly famous climaxes in the whole classical repertoire. The facts that this is the first time that we hear the fully developed version of the theme that has been teasing us for the last 30 minutes, and that it is only here, outside of the sonata space, that we finally reach the home key of Eb major, make this moment that much more powerful and emotionally rewarding. And the message of this alteration to sonata form is clear. The sublime rising theme isn't just presented to us as any other theme, but is a direct product of our struggle. It is through the chaos and suffering of the movement that the theme is slowly and gradually molded and formed, reaching its final form only after we've directly faced the existential questions that have put us on this path in the first place. The renewal isn't reached despite our struggle, but because of it.
Those final few minutes are quite possibly some of the best in classical music
Without a doubt!!!
The majesty, the absolute sublimity, the eternal..
Those last several bars from the "Noch Schneller" simply undo me. I am brought to my knees in tears.
Well done here as with the other movements. You explored the structure and content of this complex Mahler masterwork without straying too far into the metaphysical haze in which some analysts lose their way.
Rise again, yes, you will rise again.
My dust, after a short rest!
Immortal life
He who called you will give to you.
To blossom again you are sown!
The lord of the harvest goes
And gathers, like sheaves,
We who died.
O believe, my heart, o believe:
Nothing is lost to you!
It is yours, what you desired.
It is yours, what you loved, what you struggled for.
O believe:
You were not born in vain!
You have not lived, suffered in vain!
What came into being, it must cease to be!
What passed away, it must rise again!
Stop trembling!
Prepare yourself to live!
Oh grief! You all-penetrator!
I am forced to you
O death! You all-conqueror!
Now you are defeated!
With wings that I won for myself
In fervent pursuit of love
I will waft away
To the light that no eye has penetrated
I shall die in order to live.
Rise again, yes, you will rise again,
My heart, in a moment!
What you bested
It will carry you to God!
Yes! I've been waiting for movement 5 :)
Thank you very much!!!!
Very good
nice
Yes! Mahler 2 is now finished! What’s next?
I kind of stayed in a Mahler mood to be honest...
@@JakobSpindler haha while Beethoven is my personal favourite Mahler is awesome! How many consecutive Mahlers can we expect?
edit: hoping for Mahler 8!
@@JakobSpindler also can I just say that Mahler symphonies are among the hardest to understand on the first few listens, so to someone who wants to understand Mahler symphonies for the universe-encompassing masterworks they are with all the musical detail, these videos are genuinely the best! This is the best score analysis channel I’ve seen, just thought you should know.
@@ShaunakDesaiPiano Thank you! I really appreciate it. I'll probably make one more Mahler analysis, and then do other composers for a while.
@@JakobSpindler that’s awesome! The reason I say Mahler 8 is because in October they’re playing Mahler 8 in Royal Albert Hall which I’d love to watch while understanding everything but of course it’s completely your choice which Mahler symphony you upload.
A S C E N D D D D D
Fianle
Edit: Maybe I was too subtle with it. This is how it's pronounced in the thumbnail. Hope it helps.