 |
| Photograph Of Mahler 1895 |
Mahler's 2nd. Symphony was composed over a much longer period of time than his first was, between the years 1888 and 1894. It is known as the Resurrection and explores notions of the afterlife and other Christian themes, considering, through music, his conversion to the Catholic church, and notions of death that religion offered that Judaism didn't. That is not to say that it doesn't have many Jewish elements to it--it does, but given Mahler's obsession with death, it would not be hard to imagine his wanting to fully engage in what Christianity has to say about the process of death and what, if anything, comes next.
The piece was debuted in 1895 in Berlin and published for the first time two years later. This and his Eighth were Mahler's most popular works during his lifetime. Little wonder that it was so well received given it's deeply Christian theme. The performance here is conducted by one of the all time masters Claudio Abbado, and this was every bit his project. In 2000 he announced that he intended to bring back a festival orchestra that had been founded Arturo Toscanini himself. People weren't too sure about this idea, after all the idea of a "festival orchestra" was so out dated! Addado didn't care. Three years later, the result was stunning!!
 |
| This is the composing hut in Steinbach |
No comments:
Post a Comment