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Mahler 9 at NEC, 2008, Rehearsal 2
4/1/2008 2:54 PMI began the rehearsal this morning (March 31) by telling the members of the orchestra about our new Blog. I said that, through the miracle of the web, news of the blog had already travelled to my dear friend Chris Wilkins, Music Director of the Akron Symphony and the Florida symphony, who is guest conducting in Spain. He sent it on to several friends. Someone from Malaysia had seen it and is, no doubt sharing it with all the members of the Malaysian Mahler Society (see my Journal entry A Mahlaysian Transformation) . It is truly amazing that nowadays even a Conservatory rehearsal can be shared with people around the world!
I also told them that there was a downside to the Internet: sadly people don't write letters and diaries so much any more. It was an exciting week-end for me, because my brother in England had sent me extracts from 80 pages of letters that my father wrote from the Russian front during the First World War, which are full of extraordinary observations about music, literature and art (excerpts of these will be posted on my web-site soon) and also the recently discovered entries from my father's diary, written when he was 14 to 16 in Erfurt, Germany.
I encouraged the players to keep diaries and especially to write letters about their experiences NOW, so that they could remember these things in their old age and share their experiences with their grandchildren.
I read out one excerpt:
WALTER ZANDER'S DIARY - AGED 14-16
The first entry in the diary states: 'This little book was a present from my mother on the 8th of June 1912, my 14th birthday.'
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When I woke up today I found standing at the end of my bed a little table with geraniums and a book, The Family Mendelsohn (sic) which my mother had put there with a letter. The letter was quite touching. I will keep it. Before school I went into my parents' bedroom to get their blessing. In school I could hardly wait for 12 noon.
At home I found the presents: 22 marks, the above-mentioned book, three writings about music (Faust in Music, The German Lied, Bayreuth), and a note from mother: "I have arranged solo lessons for you with Hansmann." I was at first completely lost for words. My greatest wish for a long time has been fulfilled. I forgot all the other presents and hugged my mother. After lunch I went for my violin lesson. Hansmann congratulated me in front of everyone and was satisfied with my playing. . . While my parents and Hanne attended a welfare function, I practised the violin. . . That was a birthday as never before. A mass of presents and then Hansmann.
Sunday, 9th I practised from 8.30. My exam in the Conservatoire was at 10 in front of Hansmann, Wetz, Muth, Guenter and Miss Nikolai. I played Ries and an A-major scale.
On the way home with Erich Waetzold I bought a Harmony, Counterpoint and Composition textbook. Then more practising. After lunch I was ready dressed for tennis except for my shoes. Then I found they were much too small. So I couldn't go and practised some more instead. I also wrote two thank-you letters to Elle and Malchen, and practised some more after the evening meal.
Monday 10th After school I practised until mealtime. After that I did some homework and practised again . . . Suddenly I remembered that it was Richard Strauss' birthday tomorrow. I wrote to him immediately and addressed it to the Berlin Opera. (I have just realised that he may well be in Munich.) I hope he gets the letter. I let him know tactfully that I was expecting a reply. In town I bought strawberries for the parents and left them at the end of their bed. They will be pleased when they come back tired from their trip and notice them. After the evening meal I played Carmen - no, not played it, but lived it and suffered it! Franz would understand what I mean. Good night!
Tuesday 11th Did homework after school. Went to Ensemble Class at 3. Then chased off home and changed for tennis. When I got there I found that the courts couldn't be used because of yesterday's rain. So I went home and practised some more.
Thursday 13th Departed for Georgenthal at 1.08 for an excursion by the Conservatoire. Arrived at 2.30 and went to the Schuetzenhof Inn. Then we went rowing. The others had also arrived and were eating. I accidentally met Gustav Fritsche, and became great friends with him. In the evening we danced. When I arrived home at 12.45, I found a card from Richard Strauss. He thanked me for my birthday greeting.
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It must seem like an odd way to start an orchestra rehearsal! But actually there was reason in my madness. Our students nowadays tend to think of figures like Mahler and Strauss as distant, mythic figures inhabiting a glorious Parnassus. It is a shock to realize that a 14 year old school-boy could write a letter to Strauss and get a reply in a few days!!!
I told them that, when I was a boy, my father reported that on 12th May 1911 a visitor to his home solemnly announced "Today Gustav Mahler died. You mark my words: one day Mahler will be considered the equal of Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert."
It seemed an incomprehensible, almost nonsensical idea for a 13-year-old, that a modern composer could ever be talked about in such a way, but indeed it has come to pass. It still is exciting for me that my father - one generation ago - was part of that milieu (He lived next door to Max Reger and saw him almost every day and he played under legendary conductor Arthur Nikisch, who performed world premieres of Brahms and Wagner! It reminds us that we can almost reach out and touch those colossal figures from the past. It brings the music to us in a more immediate way.
Starting the Second Movement
We started working on the second movement. At first getting the bassoons and violas to play the up-beat with the right kind of kick - a little rushed figure, and then delaying the 2nd beat of the next bar. It's a cruel caricature of the Viennese Laendler. He marks the movement to be played "somewhat clumsy and very boorish". Imagine encouraging the musicians to be boorish! In this dance life is seen as tawdry and pointless. The feeling is of being awkward and trapped. They got it perfectly!
Brynn Rector, one of the trumpet players (some will remember her from that unbelievable photo of her on the Great Wall in China on the YPO tour blog playing the opening of Mahler 5th - I will certainly never forget the sound as it ricochet'd all around the mountains!) pointed out on her white sheet that the first five notes (the kick) are the same as the notes of Papageno's bells in Magic Flute. Hmm. Was it intentional, she asks?
Probably. After all Mahler was the conductor of the Vienna Opera and performed Magic Flute countless times Here is what the great Henri Louis de L Grange says about it in his new 1758 page book:
"It is not surprising that new concepts were needed to explain the novelty of this Scherzo. Mahler had a habit of reproducing popular music with a realism that is essentially unromantic, for instance the deliberately popular music in the First Symphony and songs like Revelge. He carried this penchant even further in the Ninth, with a grim sardonic humor unparalleled in its time and comparable only to later works such as Stravinsky's Petrouchka...."
So yes, Brynn you might be on to something.
I was amazed at how quickly the musicians got the spirit of the Laendler. They were willing to exaggerate the dynamics and get into the sarcastic, tawdry mood.
I told them that in arguably the greatest of all Mahler 9th performance on record - Bruno Walter's 1938 performance with the Berlin Philharmonic, recorded live in the darkest days before the 2nd war, when most of the jews had already been forced to leave, Walter is heard to loudly stamp his foot before the Schwerfallig entry of the second violins. I couldn't believe how perfectly our second violinists instantaneously caught the spirit of the raucous, clumsy gesture ( marked wie Fiedeln - like country fiddlers!).
I urged everyone to make the most of the nonsensical, caricature dynamics. There seems to be nothing these phenomenal musicians cannot do.
At one point we worked on a passage in which there were several dynamics at the same time: pp for the contra bassoon, the violins, the basses and celli, p for the violas and 2nd violins. What an amazing glitter of sound! And then, suddenly the brazen horn (Mike Winters, always on top of his game!) intrudes like an rude uninvited guest at an elegant party. What amazing listening was going on.
Eugene Lehner
Of course all this careful, slow work was likely to be tiresome for players who weren't involved in playing, so I took a moment to tell the wonderful story of our beloved Eugene Lehner, long term member of the NEC Faculty, the Boston Symphony orchestra, violist of the legendary Kolisch Quartet and revered coach of innumerable string quartets, including the Juilliard 4tet.
I had invited him to teach my Interpretation class at NEC, and after his usual magical coaching, I asked him how could he stand playing in an orchestra, even as great as the BSO, given that he probably had deeper insight into the music than many of the conductors who came to conduct. Janu (as we all called him) brushed aside my compliment and said he had a story to tell. In his first year with the BSO at a rehearsal Kousevitsky had been having terrible trouble with a Bach piece. Finally, frustrated, he turned to the world famous Bach expert, Nadia Boulanger, who happened to be sitting in the hall, and said: " Nadia, you come up here and conduct, I want to go to the back of the hall to see how it sounds."
"Well, Nadia came up, made a couple of remarks and conducted the passage and it went perfectly." Lehner said "I have been waiting and waiting for someone to say: "OK Lehner you come up and conduc, I want to go to the back of the hall to see how it soundst!" It is less and less likely after 43 years in the orchestra that that will happen, but in the meantime I haven't had a single dull moment in a rehearsal, because I am sitting there all the time thinking: "what would I say, how would I do it, if I were called on to conduct."
I may be wrong, but I sensed that from that moment on, the look of engagement on the faces of the players who were not playing changed perceptively as we continued to uncover the incredible intricacies of the Mahler.
Onward into Mahler
The dynamics in Mahler are so extreme. It is one of the ways he suggests that the dance of life is seen as tawdry and pointless. I encouraged the musicians to put themselves out - to not worry about behaving well and also not to give way because others have different dynamics. Dynamics are like political beliefs, you have to hold them firmly under fire and be able to convince others.
"Second movement is totally insane" ~Amelia Clingman
"Sitting in rehearsal this morning I was reflecting that most people in the world never get a chance to play a Mahler symphony (or any symphony, or to even hear one!). It is such a privilege to play with such amazing musicians as are at NEC right now - any one of the string players could be the section leader, any one of the winds or
brass could be playing the 1st part - that's the depth of talent at NEC right now! It's amazing!" ~Molly Gebrian
We read through the very difficult third movement (they will work on in detail at the sectionals on Wednesday) and then went on to the fourth.
"How incredible is the opening of the 4th movement?!! Wow! ~Mary Kathryn Stevens
Wow, indeed. This is some of the most beautiful, heart-rending music that exists in the world.
"I love the hymn-like quality of the Adagio" ~Jonina Mazzeo
Well, Jonina, the opening is just like the hymn "Abide with me". I have been trying to find out if there was any way that Mahler could have known that English hymn. In any case it is also just like the opening of the Beethoven Sonata op 81 "Les Adieux" (which he played at his final recital to graduate from the Conservatory), which has that same incredibly beautiful deceptive cadence.
In any event, the emotions of both pieces: "Abide with me" and farewell (Les Adieux) are central themes of the Finale - it is the ultimate Farewell movement.
Nathanial Chase, our first bass player warns:
"My only request is at the beginning of the last movement. Is it possible for us to do something more solemn, more composed? We have a long way to build and plenty of time to be expressive"
Excellent point! It is so tempting to give every moment all of our expressive intensity, but of course, Mahler is so careful to judge the over-all structure and marks the first heavenly hymn tune, piano. I will keep it in mind.
Kate Wetter had a similar warning on her white sheet: "I understand the need/desire for such expressive conducting in the Adagio, but could you please give clearer downbeats for those of us who have a lot of counting?".
Ah yes, Kate! One of the main jobs of the conductor is to create a feeling of confidence and comfort in the players, especially those counting rests - I sometimes get carried away, especially as we are learning what the piece is all about. As we go along, I promise I will be more and more attentive to the clarity of my beat. But thank you for the reminder
I had asked one of the violinists to switch to the first violins, because we had lost a couple of players in the firsts. She replied "Please don't switch me to 1st violin! I wouldn't trade this part for the world!
Now that says something about Mahler!
"It is amazing to me how prominent the second violin part is - and the viola! It gives the inner voices a punch from the center." ~Will Knuth
"Maestro, I think you have the ability to bring out the best of us. Both playing-wise and how we relate to the music through all your interesting stories." ~Tsu-chi
That is pleasing to me. I never know if it is wise to include stories in my rehearsals, because you cannot be sure that it helps the players to get inside the music. But it is nice to hear that at least some appreciate it.
Yi Yin wrote "I had so much fun today and I am so enjoy the music sound we made. I am play with my heart. I love Mahler."
Thank you, Yi Yin, I think you speak eloquently for all of us!
I will be conducting Mahler Fifth with the Toronto Symphony this week, so I will be gone on Wednesday. A perfect time for sectionals!
The concert in Toronto is on Thursday night, so I will get on a plane at 6 am on Friday morning so that I can be back in Boston for rehearsal at 9.
I am told that the hall in Toronto is pretty awful. How lucky we are at NEC to have Jordan Hall as our school auditorium!!. I can't wait to hear the opening of the Finale in Jordan Hall - it's one of the finest spaces for music in all the world. It makes all the difference for this music to be experienced in a great hall. I can't wait. OMG!
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