Mahler:
- Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4.
Both of these symphonies are among my great favorites of Gustav Mahler’s works. And for different reasons:
I visited the place in Austria where the Third was composed; I saw the grassy area filled with summer flowers, and other sites in Nature that Mahler painted in this symphony. And many years later I heard this work performed in an unforgettable manner by James Levine, with the Aspen Symphony Orchestra.
On another occasion, I heard the cowbells that begin the Symphony #4. So this music is always very personal for me.
During the composition of Mahler’s Fourth, his friend Bruno Walter, came to visit at Mahler’s home on the Attersee in Austria. Mr. Walter looked around at the majesty of the Austrian lakes, mountains and forests, and Mahler said: “There’s no need to look at all this; I already composed this into my new symphony.”
These two symphonies continue the release of the complete Mahler cycle with Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra:
Mahler:
- Symphony No. 3 in D minor, with Waltraud Meier (mezzo)
- Symphony No. 4 in G major, with Genia Kühmeier (soprano)
Performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi conducting.
Here is the opening of the Symphony #3 by Mahler, as performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi:
And here is the third movement titled “Ruhevoll” from Mahler’s Symphony #4, also conducted by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi conducting:
Tags: Gustav Mahler, Symphony #3, Symphony #4, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi