Mahler - Symphony No. 2 'Auferstehung' - Mariss Jansons | Concertgebouworkest

Concertgebouworkest -
Mariss Jansons, chief-conductor

Ricarda Merbeth, soprano
Bernarda Fink, mezzo soprano
Netherlands Radio Choir, chief-conductor Celso Antunes

[OkelloDunkleyDSLRWorkshops]

Proudest moment as a dad… My 12 and 10 year old making it through Mahler’s 2nd and then my daughter saying to me, “that was an hour and a half?”

[emy]

i just don't understand how so many people don't even know that masterpieces such as this even exist.

[lukehomestead]

Mariss Jansons died yesterday. It makes me so sad because he was one of my favorite conductors. Rest in peace - we will always remember you 💔

[JorrigVonKnorrig]

I've sung this in 2008, it is terribly high and very loud. But standing in the middle of this big orchestra with 300 singers around you in the front row of the choir between two choir directors and face-to-face with the orchestra director is an experience you cannot buy for any money in the world!

[AhmedGs]

Life is worth living as long as there is Classical Music to listen.

[davidmoss]

🟦 1st Movement: Todtenfeier ("Funeral Rites")
◾Exposition
0:44 First part with funeral march character in C minor
3:00 Transition
3:18 Secondary theme with lyric, pathetic character, beginning in E major and closing in E-flat minor
4:17 First theme (!)
4:43 Third complex of themes (starting with Liszt's Cross motif in A flat major) leading to G minor
5:43 Closing group in G minor: Funeral music over a bass ostinato with tam-tam
◾First Development
6:55 Introduction (connecting to the secondary theme), beginning in C major and leading to E major
7:45 Pastorale in E major (with a new motif in the English horn)
8:55 New section primarily in E minor, developing different motifs
10:26 Development of the third theme complex (at the beginning again the Cross symbol)
11:42 Variation of the secondary theme: Music from a distance (like chamber music)
12:21 March from a distance in B major
12:53 Return to the main motifs of the movement, beginning in a triple forte and fading away bis zur Unhorbarkeit [until no longer audible] (tam-tam)
◾Second Development
13:24 Restatement of 8:55, now in E-flat minor with sighing motifs (laments) of the English horn at the beginning
14:18 Anticipation of the Finale: Dies Irae theme (14:18), main theme motifs (14:42), Cross symbol (14:52), Resurrection motif (14:56), Eternity motif (15:00), Dies Irae motif (15:05), climax on a dissonance (15:15)
15:23 Closing section with plunging motif (16:09) and again a catastrophic climax (16:23)
◾Recapitulation
16:38 First part in C minor
18:02 Transition
18:18 Secondary theme and Pastorale in E major
◾Coda
20:23 Synthesis of closing group and poritions of the first part, beginning with tam-tam: funeral march/funeral music
23:23 Major-minor seal, followed by a plunging motif

🟦 2nd Movement: Andante moderato ["echo of days gone by in the life of the one whom we carried to the grave in the first movement"]
24:40 Part A, Sehr gemachlich [very leisurely]. Grazioso in A-flat major
26:02 Part B, Nicht eilen [not hurrying]. Very leisurely in G-sharp minor, scherzolike, woodwinds enter (dolce, espressivo) at 26:51
27:36 Part A’, Tempo I in A-flat major, with countermelody in celli, molto espressivo (27:49)
29:19 Part B’, Energisch bewegt [energetically moving] Climax, in G-sharp minor, eerie ostinato timpani @ 30:58
31:56 Part A’’, Tempo I in A-flat major, pizzicato
34:32 Coda, in A-flat major

Conveying that the ‘meaning of existence cannot be understood and that life itself seems senseless’ [Floros]
35:34 Introduction
35:47 Part A with “bittersweet humor” (clarinet @ 36:30 @ 37:13; stacatto bsn @ 37:26)
39:03 Part B, “very massive” theme in C major, piano in celli and bass. Coupled with fanfarelike melody of the winds, the theme is presented in D major @ 39:28 and E major @ 40:16. Sinister expression with dissonances in brass at 42:15
42:22 Part A’, lyric passage @ 43:30.
44:11 Part B’, shrieking dissonance "cry of despair" @ 44:34 B-flat minor chord over pedal point on C; trumpet motifs at 45:11, 45:27, first violin descending melodic line @ 45:28 will show up in the Finale.
46:16 Part A’'

🟦 4th Movement: Urlicht ["Primeval Light"]
text from Das Knaben Wunderhorn
47:14 Motto [O Roschen rot, "Oh, little red rose"] and choralelike introduction [9 winds]
48:27 ◾First Stanza: Part A [Der Mensch liegt in grobter Not / Der Mensch liegt in grobter Pein, Je lieber mocht' ich im Himmel sein, "Mankind lies in great need / Mankind lies in great pain / Rather I would heaven claim"]
50:06 ◾Second Stanza: Part B [Da kam ich auf einen breiten Weg / Da kam ein Engelein und wollt mich abweisen / ach nein, ich lieb mich nicht abweisen, "Then I came upon a wide, broad way / Where a little angel came and wanted to send me away / Oh no, I did not let myself be sent away"]
51:12 ◾Third Stanza: Part A' [Ich bin von Gott, ich will wieder zu Gott / Der liebe Gott wird mir ein Lichtchen geben / Wird leuchten mir bis in das ewig selig Leben, "I am from God, I want to return to God / The loving God will grant me a little light / Will light my way to blissful life eternal and bright"]

🟦 5th Movement
◾Introduction
52:26 “Fright Fanfare” over a pedal-point C, similar to "cry of despair" @ 44:34
52:49 Eternity (53:00) and Ascension (53:21) motifs in C major; Glockenspiel (53:06 trumpet motifs heard @ 45:11)
◾Exposition, Der Rufer in der Wuste “The One Calling in the Wilderness” = Announcement of Judgment Day
54:10 Horn calls and triplet motifs = first announcement by the Caller; 54:50 trumpet motif from 53:06, 45:11
55:36 First eschatological statement by the Caller: Chorale: Dies irae followed by the Resurrection theme (56:06) in F minor
56:40 Thematic material of the Caller in F minor = secondary announcement by the Caller
58:00 “Entreaty” = anticipation of the section O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube (“Oh believe, my heart, oh believe”): insrumental recitatitive and arioso in B-flat minor
59:15 Second eschatological statement by the Caller: Chorale: Dies irae followed by the Resurrection theme beginning in D-flat major and ending in C major
1:00:35 Thematic material of the Caller in C major / C minor; inclusion of the Ascension motif = third announcement by the Caller
1:02:38 Percussion crescendo: “The earth is shaking, the graves are opening up”
◾Development (Vision of the Last Judgment), Seven Sections
1:02:50 Fear and Dies irae motifs (1:03:24 - violins, 1:03:31 - winds), often contrapuntally combined, in addition to shouting motifs
1:03:41 Allegro marziale using Dies irae (marchlike expanded version of 14:18, trombones @1:05:25), Resurrection, and Fear motifs; chorale in the trumpets @1:04:38
1:05:46 Return to the first movement @14:18
1:06:34 Collapse: Fright fanfare linked contrapuntally with tritonic variations of the Dies irae motif and inferno triplets
1:07:03 Repeated anticipation of the "Entreaty" (~58:00) in addition to "trumpets of the Apocalypse" @1:07:38: instrumental recitative and arioso, large climax, tritone @1:08:57
1:09:04 Fright fanfare over a pedal point on C-sharp (~52:26), Dies irae in trombones (1:09:12)
1:09:26 Eternity and Ascension theme in D-flat major (~52:49); again seven tones of Glockenspiel
◾Varied Recapitulation, Der grosse Appell "The Great Roll-Call" = Resurrection: The True Apocalype
1:10:39 Caller motif, bird calls, fanfares of the Apocalypse, beginning in F-sharp minor
1:13:25 First stanza: four-line Resurrection Chorale in G-flat major [Auferstehn, ja auferstehn wirst du / Mein Staub, nach kurzer Ruh! / Unsterblich Leben / Wird, der dich rief, dir geben, "Arise, yes, you will arise / Dust of my body, after a brief rest! / Immortal life / Will he, who called you, grant to you"]
1:15:34 Intermezzo (Caller motifs, Ascension theme, Eternity theme)
1:16:55 Second stanza: variation of the four-line Resurrection Chorale [Wieder aufzubluhn, wirst du gesat! / Der Herr der Ernte geht / Und sammelt Garben / Uns ein, die starben, "You are sown that you might bloom again! / The Lord of harvest goes / And gathers sheaves / Gathers us, who died]
1:18:44 Intermezzo (Ascension theme and Eternity theme, Glockenspiel)
1:20:26 Third stanza: Alto and soprano solo = Entreaty in recitative-ariosos style in B-flat minor [O glaube, mein Herz, es geht dir nichts verloren! / Dein ist, ja dein, was du gesehnt / Was du geliebt, was du gestritten / O Glaube: du wardst nicht umsonst geboren / Hast nicht umsonst gelebt, gelitten, "Oh, believe, my heart, nothing is lost for you! / Yours, yes, yours alone is what you longed for / What you loved, and what you fought for / Oh believe, you were not born in vain / Nor have you lived or suffered in vain!"]
1:22:12 Fourth stanza: different variation of Resurrection Chorale [Was entstanden ist, das mub vergehen / Was vergangen, auferstehen! / Hor auf, zu beben! / Bereite dich, zu leben! "That which was created must perish / What perished will arise! / No longer tremble! / Prepare to live!]
1:24:00 Fifth and Sixth stanzas: Alto and soprano duet with mostly independent thematic material; melodic material from Urlicht (1:24:27) [O Schmerz, du Alldurchdringer / Dir bin ich entrungen! / O Tod, du Allbezwinger / Nun bist du bezwungen! "Oh agony, you piercing pain / From you I have escaped! / Oh death, all-conquering claim / Now you are defeated!] [Mit flugeln, die ich mir errungen / In heisem Liebesstreben / Werd' ich entschweben / Zum Licht, zu dem kein Aug' gedrungen "With wings that I have gained / In seeking to perfect my love / Will I ascend / Into the light which no eye has ever reached]
1:24:41 Seventh stanza: Imitative treatment of the Ascension theme; the Eternity theme in E-flat major (1:25:38) [Mit flugeln, die ich mir errungen / Werde ich entschweben / Sterben werd' ich, um zu leben!, "With wings that I have gained / Will I ascend / I will die to be alive!]
1:26:03 Eighth stanza: new variation of the Resurrection Chorale in E flat major [Auferstehn, ja auferstehn wirst du / Mein Herz, in einem Nu! / Was du geschlagen / Zu Gott, zu Gott wird es dich tragen, "Arise, you will arise / My heart, within a moment! / What you have conquered / To God, to God it will bear you up"]
1:27:15 Postlude (Eternity theme, bells in triple rhythm): Transcendence

◾notes based on Constantin Floros : Gustav Mahler The Symphonies, Amadeus Press (1985)

[DanielZajic]

I heard Mahler live for the first time today, it was the 2nd, and it was transcendent, sublime. Even with half the orchestra and choir of this performance, it was one of the most emotional and memorable experiences in my life. More than I could have imagined. If you ever have a chance to see this live, you will not regret it.

[lanfordvideos]

The ending of this piece is too soul-stirring and heart-wrenching for mortal human words to express. What a passionate man Mahler must have been!

[svrfan]

I was in the audience for this recording, it was total magic from beginning till end. Mariss and Concertgebouw Orchestra rule!!

[MedwedianPresident]

Mahler makes me, a hardened man, cry. This is one of the best pieces of classical music I've ever heard in my life.

[FabianRivero]

One of my biggest life dreams is to attend a Mahler 2, the feelings this masterpiece generates are beyond words.

[maxalain]

This symphony is definitely staying as an Easter tradition

[javierd.d]

I discovered this masterpiece as a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of 11 March 2004 in MADRID.
10 bombs on four commuter trains left 193 people killed and more than 2000 injured.

In 2020 this symphony was used as a tribute in the Concert "In Memoriam" organised by Terrorism Victims Foundation at the National Auditorium of Spain In Madrid presided by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.

REST IN PEACE. 💔

[theimmaculated]

RIP maestro, I cherish these Mahler performances and recordings

[michaelreidperry]

I doubt many here in attendance speak my language. But I’m sure we are all understanding what our Mahler is “saying” musically with fluency. The language, the theory, the science, the culture, the community of musical sound can be so easily translatable from People to People.

[joyceoxfeld]

Something tells me that this is the gold standard for performance of this work.

[dukestravels]

Once upon a time, music of this caliber was composed.

[carlosabril]

Mariss Jansons was an individualist and an interpreter at his own terms. He was a great conductor. He lived for what he did he, he will be missed.
Listened to it again; THIS A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE. The feeling and joy felt by Mariss is contagious.

[ericnzuki]

I attended a Mahler 2 concert, it’s unbelievably incredible. The big roar at 2:50 was so loud...just a few minutes into it, I knew we were in for an experience of a lifetime!

[foveauxbear]

No one plays Mahler better than THIS wonderful orchestra.