Symphony No.5

GUSTAV MAHLER'S Fifth Symphony formally straddles two eras (1899–1901) and symbolizes turning points in art and musical ideas. His Fifth Symphony is unique in that it contains no vocal parts, quotations from folk music, or literary basis, as found in his earlier symphonies. Words are important in Mahler's music. His Second Symphony is based on a text by Klopstock; his Third, on a text by Friedrich Nietzche. The influence of Schubert's vocal music is evident in his early vocal cycles, such as Des Knaben Wunderhorn ("The Youth's Magic Horn") and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ("Songs of a Wayfarer"). A critic described Mahler's progression from his First to Fourth symphonies as an evolution from "folk inspiration" to "symphonic expression." Another critic described Mahler's evolution from the First to the Fifth Symphony as a transition from "folkloric inspiration, open programs, fantastic elements, song-like melodies, and the participation of the voice" to "pure instrumental sound and 'granite-hard' orchestration." In November 1901, the 41-year-old Mahler was nearing the completion of his Fifth Symphony. During this time, he crossed paths with a remarkable woman in Vienna: 22-year-old Alma Schindler. She possessed remarkable beauty and intellect, was a composer herself, and was the daughter of the artist Emil Jakob Schindler. Their love led to their marriage in March 1902. During their first summer together, Mahler finished the symphony using sketches from previous years. It was the fruit of their love and a sign of change. In 1897, Mahler confessed to conductor Anton Seidl, "Only when I experience can I compose, and only when I compose can I experience." The symphony consists of five movements, which are grouped into three parts. The first part comprises the first two movements. The second part comprises the last two movements, with the short fourth movement serving as an introduction to the fifth movement. The work contains an autobiographical element: the first movement reflects an event from 1901 when he nearly died from a severe hemorrhage, which explains its dramatic nature. Analogies are drawn with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. American composer Aaron Copland offers the following original description of Mahler's style: "If we had to distinguish Beethoven from Mahler, the former would be a great man walking down the street, while the latter would be a great actor playing the role of the great man walking down the street." The second movement is a chorale that reappears in the third movement and the finale. The third movement stands alone with its dance-like character, featuring a Ländler and a waltz in homage to Johann Strauss Jr. The fourth movement is the famous "Adagietto," Mahler's love letter to his future wife, Alma. He sent her the manuscript without comment, knowing she would understand it perfectly. The Adagietto is a supreme example of Mahler's mastery of orchestration. The rondo finale repeats the chorale theme from the second movement and introduces a complex fugue that pays tribute to Bach's polyphonic style. For the premiere on October 18^th , 1904, in Cologne, Mahler presented the symphony under the title "Titan," which he removed in subsequent editions. During rehearsals, the composer expressed his concern that the audience would be shocked by its stylistic and aesthetic differences from his previous works. Indeed, after the performance, he uttered his famous line: "No one understood it. I wish I could conduct the premiere fifty years after my death." In 1908, Mahler accepted an invitation to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He later became the artistic director of the New York Philharmonic.