Mahler Symphony No.6 in A Minor

Classical Music Dateline, May 27 / Orchestral

 

Premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony 6

This day, May 27, 1906, Gustav Mahler conducts the first performance of his Symphony No.6  in Essen, Germany.  Mahler's  Symphony No. 6 in A minor is sometimes referred to as "Tragic" or Tragische, which he composed between 1903 and 1905 (revised 1906; scoring was repeatedly revised).

Instrumentation

The symphony is written for a large orchestra comprising:

• woodwinds: piccolo, 4 flutes (fl. 3, 4 doubling piccolos 1, 2), 4 oboes (ob. 3, 4 doubling English horns 1, 2), English horn, 3 clarinets in B-flat and A, clarinet in E-flat and D (doubling cl. 4 in A for one short passage in the finale), bass clarinet in B-flat and A, 4 bassoons, contrabassoon

• brass: 8 horns in F, 6 trumpets in B-flat, C, and F, 4 trombones, tuba

• percussion: timpani (4 for one player, 2 for the other), bass drum and rute, snare drum, cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, glockenspiel, xylophone, 2 or more deep bells of indeterminate pitch (placed off-stage), cowbells (placed both on- and off-stage), hammer1

• keyboards: celesta

• strings: 2 harps, violins i, ii, violas, cellos, double basses

Structure of Symphony 6

 

The work is in four movements with a duration of around 80 minutes. The inner movement order is the matter of some debate (see below). While the Critical Edition of the Symphony until recently has shown the Scherzo as preceding the Andante moderato, the Kaplan Foundation has recently published articles suggesting that the order should be as follows (which is to appear in a future edition):

1. Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig.


2. Andante moderato


3. Scherzo: Wuchtig


4. Finale: Sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Allegro energico

The tragic, even nihilistic ending of No. 6 has been seen as unexpected, given that the symphony was composed at what was apparently an exceptionally happy time in Mahler's life, having married Alma Schindler in 1902. Also, during the course of the work's composition, his second daughter was born.


Watch Video: 

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor - Lucerne Festival Orchestra /Claudio Abbado. Youtube, uploaded by EuroArtsChannel.  Accessed 27 May 2016. (Recorded live at the Lucerne Festival, Summer 2006. Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne, 10 August 2006)
Four Movements:
I. Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig (22:52)
II. Andante moderato (14:58)
III. Scherzo. Wuchtig - (Trio) Altväterisch. Grazioso (13:03)
IV. Finale. Allegro moderato - Allegro energico (33:16)


Resources:

1. en.wikipedia.org.
2. Kennedy, Michael & Joyce & Tim Rutherford-Johnson.  Oxford Dictionary of Music, 6th Edition.  Oxford University Press, 2012.
3. Symphony Guide:  Mahler 6.  The Guardian.  Accessed  27 May 2016. 

(c) 2016.  Tel.  Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.