"Galaxy nearly destroyed," says local scientist...

"...The encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space time continuum, and destroy the entire universe! Granted, that's a worse case scenario. The destruction might in fact be very localized, limited to merely our own galaxy."
Doc Brown, Hill Valley, 2015


So, John Daly-Peoples, of the National Business Review, writes a preview of the performance of Mahler's Sixth Symphony by the Auckland Philharmonia.

figure 1: A different John Daly playing a little shirtless golf. Not fun to look at.

MAHLER'S TRAGIC TALE

This week the Auckland Philharmonia will be playing one of the first and probably the greatest autobiographical symphony of the twentieth century with Gustav Mahler’s sixth symphony.

Autobiographical symphony? Okay, I guess. Premiered in 1906, and sometimes know by the editorial title "Tragic Symphony", many historians, and even Mahler's wife have made overtures of the autobiographical meanings in the work.

However, Mahler was seemingly at a happy point in his life, having recently married Alma Schindler and enjoyed the birth of a baby daughter during the composition of the piece...but hey, I didn't know the guy, perhaps it was inner torment.


But I digress...

Beethoven’s great symphonies portray mankind in a heroic manner. He attempted to show man in pursuit of higher aims but they were figures of almost mythic proportions.

I guess it is true that you can't write about Mahler without mentioning Beethoven...

Mahler on the other hand puts himself at the centre of the music with the music expressing his own fears, emotions and aspirations.

Like the contemporary thinkers such as Sigmund Freud he was endeavoring to find the universal truths from within the individual.

Composed in the early years of the twentieth century the sixth symphony...

wait for it...

Composed in the early years of the twentieth century the sixth symphony presages the tumultuous world evenmts [sic] to come.

The symphony does what now? Presages? So it's not just autobiographical, it's a fortune teller?

figure B: Who knew?

Is Mahler not aware that having knowledge of the future could possibly screw up the space-time Continuum and endanger his own existence?

figure trois: "Marvin, you gotta play. See that's where they kiss for the first time on the dance floor. And if there's no music, they can't dance. If they can't dance, they can't kiss. If they can't kiss they can't fall in love, and I'm history. "

And oh, "evenmts"?

It also prefigures the calamities which would afflict the composer; the death of his daughter, his loss of prestige in being dumped from the Vienna Sate Opera and his being diagnosed with a terminal heart condition.

Damn. I wonder how his fate would have been different if he had just added more cowbell?

Are we not at least a little surprised that Mahler had supernatural powers? Is this common knowledge -- Mahler gazed into the future and wrote a symphony about what he saw?

Guess so. Although, to be fair, in the original program notes Mahler added this little anecdote that may illuminate his omens of doom in the work:

"Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out that he'd melt my brain."

figure 4: Darth Vader presages tumultuous world events to Mahler.

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From now on, when writing and thinking intellectually about music, can we agree to seek out rational explanations for the underlying story behind a piece of music rather than to attribute mystical powers? Thanks.

New Year, Same Detritus

C’mon Tennessean! You’re telling me there’s no classical music news? Really?









No. Not really. (See last entry)








I suppose, in the end, it is nice that there is space for Mahler amidst the sea of other random crap. Though, it is a bit puzzling why the story “Angelina Jolie thinking about brief return to film” is found in both “Celebrities Headlines” and “Entertainment Headlines.” Whatever.

What about the Mahler? (Click) Sweet, a concert announcement:

Tonight and Saturday, the symphony will continue its presentation of "Mahler's Sixth."

Sixth what? The sixth double concerto for fife and ondes martenot? Symphonies don’t just play symphonies, you know! Or do you? Have you ever been inside a concert hall? I mean, just for the sake of your inexperienced concert-goers, it might be nice to say, without a doubt, that it is Mahler's Sixth Symphony, instead of just hinting at it.

I’m glad the Tennessean was able to find the best and brightest. Sheesh. Grammar—where to start? The quotations? A lesson in possessives? Titles? Nicknames?

I suppose, if you’re given space for only 130 words...

No. No excuses for poor grammar. Nor vocabulary. And especially not for a lack of musical expertise.

In addition Joseph Haydn's "59th Symphony" also will be performed.

Commas, anyone? Hello...

Also, “also” is redundant; it is the synonym of “in addition.” Don't forget to watch your word count.

Haydn (1732-1809) and Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) are from Austria...

So far, so good, Google.

...with Haydn frequently referred to as "the father of the symphony" for having penned more than 100 pieces.

(rolls eyes) I’ve written nearly one-hundred pieces. Does that mean I’m almost a father?

-

And another little Tennessean promo about the same concert:

While neither piece, thematically speaking, will necessarily start your 2009 off with a big Cheshire grin, Haydn’s Symphony No. 59 in A major “Fire” and Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in A minor “Tragic” remain two enduring examples of brilliance from two of classical music’s masters.

Instead of watching Barack Obama give his inaugural speech, we’re going to show archival footage of his fifth grade book report. It’s not thematically as good, but he got an A on it.

Way to sell it, people. Tickets start from $15 and go up to $85! Enjoy!
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E-Flat Clarinets Are...What?

This odd bit comes from Anna Picard of the British Sunday Independent, reviewing this year's Proms. Can anyone enlighten the DR about the veracity of this bizarre claim?


I've never bought the notion put about by Alma Mahler



that the three "hammer blows of fate" in the finale of the Sixth foretold the death of four-year-old Maria Mahler, the anti-semitic putsch at the Vienna Staatsoper and the diagnosis of the heart condition that would kill Mahler at the age of 51.

Me, neither. I guess I bought into the conventional wisdom that they signified the death blows of the nebulous "hero" of the symphony. But I could be wrong; meaning in music is, indeed, nebulous.

(The shriek of anti-Semitism is in any case a near-constant in his symphonies, present in each mocking call of the E flat clarinet.)

What? That...is truly...Jews hate E-flat clarinets? Or: anti-Semites hate them? What is the symbolism, or metaphor at work here? Is this some well-known musicological meme of which I'm just not aware? Anyone?

But the struggle depicted in the music must have a neurotic dimension if it is to be more than a panoramic slide-show of the Austrian Alps, with cow bells.

I don't know what that means, either. But it's not as off-putting as the equating-instrument-with-anti-Semitism thing.

A little help?

(h/t again to anzu)

Stop the Press!

What’s that? The Detritus Review actually reviewed a concert?

Well, not quite.

--

With extraordinary focus, Christoph Eschenbach lead an exceptionally well-played performance of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, which I found grippingly dramatic. Inside Eschenbach’s brain must have been a golden metronome, because his approach to Mahler’s often complex tempo indications was finely worked-out to great effect.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 89 minute-long performance of the Sixth, the only piece on the program, took one through a panorama of turbulent and emotion-filled scenes.

The orchestra, at the behest of Eschenbach, slowed down and sped up, often unexpectedly, but all with finesse and impeccable control, which somehow heightened the performance’s clarity. Eschenbach is often cited as being a master of rhythmic rigidity, following the score’s indications to the letter. And to his detriment, sometimes, his recordings sound pulse-centric, bringing to mind the often flat, relentless surface of minimalist music. On the flip side, he is often criticized for taking too many liberties, unusual tempo changes in odd places. However, when he fuses and balances both disparate predilections, the music seems more natural, almost like the pulse of a heart, changing its pace according to the ebb and flow of emotions. In this performance, Eschenbach was on, and the Mahler soared.

Last year, Eschenbach visited Disney Hall with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Some said that the orchestra’s balance was not-quite-right. Perhaps this was due to their insistence that they not rehearse in the hall, which has its own special and unique acoustics.

But Saturday’s performance was vastly different; it was superbly well-attuned to the space. Orchestral attacks seemed like well-punctuated stabs. The strings, winds and brass in the pastoral Andante were blended beautifully. The Scherzo’s syncopated rhythms were so crisp that one could easily mistake it for Stavinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” And the militaristic Finale sounded appropriately ominous and threatening, as opposed to the acoustic “mush” often found in other performances.

One may argue that Eschenbach exaggerated the tempos a little too much. But he did it only when Mahler indicated that he wanted a change. And, if you hear the piano roll recordings of the composer, Eschenbach seemed faithful to Mahler’s own swings in tempo.

What made Saturday’s performance special is Eschenbach’s taffy-pulled rhythmic changes. It seemed that each new meter and tempo flowed naturally into one another, sounding very modern. Elliot Carter’s metric modulations work on a similar-sounding principle.

And, of course, the end is always shocking. The Finale fades into a quiet section, with falling brass gestures, harp accents, and an ominous and barely audible timpani rumble. Suddenly, with a series of gigantic, Thor-like hammer strokes, performed by whacking a big wooden box with a heavy mallet, the music takes flight once more toward its glorious ending.

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Wow! I might be interested in going to that one. But not this one.

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