Waking up to Mahler

Thanking 'HIM' for the gift of music by Mahler and others

I know of no better way to start a day than being roused by Mahler's monumental 8th Symphony. And so in honor of the 100th anniversary of the" birth of his 8th Symphony",
The 8th


and in hommage to La Stupenda, Joan Sutherland, a monumental voice who died yesterday

The 2nd in C minor "Resurrection"

These selections  have invaded my soul over many years and  ring in my ears with moving, deeply involving, but almost heavenly sounds.
Both Mahler compositions use huge orchestra, chorus and soloists resulting in gigantic surges of beautiful sounds. 2010 is the 100th anniversary year of the 'birth' of Mahler's 8th,  and worldwide orchestras will 'play; hommage to his genius culminating in 2011 which happens to be the anniversary year of his death!
Gustav Mahler (July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911) in his own time was revered as one of the leading Austrian conductors, who conducted in world famous concert halls and opera houses. Mahler was born in Kalist, Bohemia. Attended lectures in Vienna by Bruckner, another giant of music. While vacationing
at Steinbach-am-Attersee, Austria, he completed his Symphony No. 1 as also the Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn"   He married Alma Schindler (1879-1964) in 1902. They had two daughters.
He was hounded out of his Staatsoper job by the Viennese, largely anti-Semitic, press after trying to promote his own music which was not well received, as for instance his
Symphony Nr 6 "The Tragic" with its hammer stroke part (see clip)



While his 4th Symphony was well received by some, not until the performance of his titanic Symphony No. 8 in 1910 did Mahler have a true public success. The pieces he wrote after that were not performed in his lifetime.  Mahler died of a streptococcus infection and is buried in the Grinzinger Cemetery.

Musically, Gustav Mahler was influenced by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the "Vienna School" of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. But shades of Romantic composers, such as Schumann and Mendelssohn can be heard! Richard Wagner was Mahler's biggest idol, despite Wagner's anti Semitic writings! But Mahler was known to have said that, 'after Beethoven Wagner is the only composer who provided "development"  in his music'. Mahler's real life experiences have no doubt influenced his work...just to mention, his wife Alma carried on an affair with the German architect Gropius, whom she later married; he lost a beloved daughter in 1907; lost his job; he converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism which did not save him from being misunderstood; he travelled despite being diagnosed with a heart condition and more. Several modern composers were heavily influenced by Mahler's driving energy and  innovations such as Berg, Korngold, etc.