“A Symphony must be like the World; it must contain everything”

Gustav Mahler, born on 7th of July to a German-tongued Bohemian family, remains to be one of the most influential yet under looked composer of the 20th century. His life was but a war of tragedies, a war against the fabric of life which constricted the very things he loved so dearly. The world was narrow and cruel to Mahler, but it didn’t refrain him from making such beauteous, devastatingly powerful and emotional symphonies. He found beauty among all the misdeeds life threw at him. Maybe that was his inspiration, the hideosity of Life.

Mahler’s compositions include Piano Quartets, Songs and Symphonies. The latter is his most celebrated works, admired by classical listeners around the world, symphonies of Mahler leave an everlasting effect on its audience. They are some of the longest, loudest, quietest, quaint diverse and divine pieces ever woven in the tapestry of music. Each whispers its own tale in a most intuitive and introspective way that embraces the inexplicability within.

The nine symphonies of Mahler are given a wonderful interpretation by one of the greatest conductors of our time. Leonard Bernstein resurrected Mahler with his interpretations of all his symphonies, perfecting every note with immense devotion, he reincarnated Mahler as never before. Bernstein spent his entire life working on Mahler, interpreting his pieces so that he is even the so-called best Mahler conductor.

The 3rd Symphony remains one of his best works, encompassing quick tempos to slow melody towards the end. It contains six movements, making it the longest symphony, spanning 105 minutes, by Mahler. Exploring divinity with poems of Friedrich Nietzsche seems ironic. Nevertheless, Mahler made it work with a soprano and children’s choir section in the symphony. The symphony delves into the exploration of nature and its message to humanity. Simple things often harbour the greatest morals. Personally, this symphony is the most beautiful and heartwrenching out of all nine. I found it to be Mahler’s philosophical pursuit of Life, expressing what the world speaks to him in this symphonic poem.

The Symphony contains six movements in all and down I’ve written my thoughts and inferences on what Mahler is trying to express with his music.

I. Pan’s Awakening, March of Summer
The first movement is energetic and fast, symbolizing Life’s celebration of revelry. It is the Mahler’s interpretation of the exile of winter by Dionysian, “the victorious appearance of Helios and the miracle of spring thanks to which all things live, breathe, flower, sing and ripen” and the march of summer, “a conqueror advancing amidst all that grows and blooms.”

The march of summer is revealed by the unison horns and later echoing sounds that feels strangely sonorous afterward progressing to a vibrant climax.

In Europe, winter is often seen as the grief of earth, as it is extreme to survive. Thus, Summer is welcomed joyously and exuberantly as interpreted in this movement. I inferred it as the ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ or ‘the night is darkest just before Dawn’. Everything will pass, nothing remains certain.

II. What the flowers of the field tell me
As the title of the movements suggests, the music is warm, simple, sensuous and beautiful as flower swaying in the warmth of the glowing sun. Mahler viewed flowers as “the most carefree thing that I have ever written—as carefree as only flowers are. It all sways and waves in the air…like flowers bending on their stems in the wind.” The movement is associated with the blooming of flowers, as in the blooming of oneself and expulsing the inner woes and being carefree as the flowers swaying on the meadows.

III. What the animals of the forest tell me
As the symphony progresses, so does the pyramid of nature. Mahler expresses what the beasts of the wild echo in his ears. The sound of birds is heard through the pipes of clarinets and flutes. Later in the movement they fade into tranquillity. It is broken by the sonorous clash of instruments, brewing into a definite uproar, and finally ends.

IV. What Man tells me
For the first time in the symphony, human voices are heard, and they sing of the woes of humanity. The text is taken from the ‘Midnight Song’ portion of Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘Thus spoke Zarathustra.’

O man! Give heed!
What does the deep midnight say?
I slept!
From deepest dream have I wakened!
The world is deep!
And deeper than the day had thought!
Deep, deep is its suffering!
Joy deeper still than deepest woe!
Woe says: Be gone!
But all joy seeks eternity!
Seeks deep, deep eternity!

The poem speaks of the realization of man’s philosophical view on life. He finds it deep and filled with sorrow. Life is nothing less than a tragedy.

V. What the Angels tell me
The Man’s voice fades into silence only to be broken by the voices of children, filled with laughter. The angelic children sing with joy accompanied with celestial bells. The text is taken from one of Mahler’s own works, “Es Sungen drei Engel”. One comes after the other, to feel joy you must have experienced grief.

VI. What Love tells me
The final movement, for me, is one the most mesmerizing pieces of music ever written. Its slow and heart-wrenching melody is sure to leave me on the verge of tears, most of the time I’ve cried. The music is so powerful that it transcends you to a state of trance, cleaving your inner self, losing general awareness and admiring the nuances and subtlety of life, just like love. It breaks your emotions, crushes your strength, weakens your senses, just like love. It fills you with hope to prepare you for everything in your life, confidence to conquer anything that comes in your way, happiness to overcome all the sorrows of the world, just like love.
And love always triumphs.
Always…