In 1887 Gustav Mahler learned the German translation of a poem by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. The protagonist of this poem takes his own life after his lover is married to another. Then the ghost of this unfortunate man is doomed to haunt the surroundings of his beloved. According to Mahler's friend Siegfried Lipiner, who provided the German translation, this story is nothing less than the
… symbol of the fall and punishment of mankind. These big words were well spent on Mahler, if only because the hero of the poem was also called Gustav. At least Mahler composed a symphonic poem entitled "Totenfeier", in which he refers to the fear of judgment by quoting the "Dies irae" from the Mass of the Dead. Mahler also quotes his song "Ich hab" whose text (which Mahler wrote himself) also alludes to suicidal motives. So much pathos had to lead to great music, although conductor Hans von Bülow grossly exaggerated when he stated that "Tristan" only looked like a Haydn symphony in comparison to this "Totenfeier". Although the title of the "Totenfeier" is completely unknown, the music is well known, because Mahler would eventually use this music for the first movement of his "Second Symphony". The "Totenfeier" can be heard on CD in a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. This CD also includes a performance of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra". (HJ) _ whose text (which Mahler wrote himself) also alludes to suicidal motives. So much pathos had to lead to great music, although conductor Hans von Bülow grossly exaggerated when he stated that "Tristan" only looked like a Haydn symphony in comparison to this "Totenfeier". Although the title of the "Totenfeier" is completely unknown, the music is well known, because Mahler would eventually use this music for the first movement of his "Second Symphony". The "Totenfeier" can be heard on CD in a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. This CD also includes a performance of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra". (HJ) _ So much pathos had to lead to great music, although conductor Hans von Bülow grossly exaggerated when he stated that "Tristan" only looked like a Haydn symphony in comparison to this "Totenfeier". Although the title of the "Totenfeier" is completely unknown, the music is well known, because Mahler would eventually use this music for the first movement of his "Second Symphony". The "Totenfeier" can be heard on CD in a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. This CD also includes a performance of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra". (HJ) _ So much pathos had to lead to great music, although conductor Hans von Bülow grossly exaggerated when he stated that "Tristan" only looked like a Haydn symphony in comparison to this "Totenfeier". Although the title of the "Totenfeier" is completely unknown, the music is well known, because Mahler would eventually use this music for the first movement of his "Second Symphony". The "Totenfeier" can be heard on CD in a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. This CD also includes a performance of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra". (HJ) _more
