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Posted by Barry Guerrero on November 18, 19102 at 21:13:46:
In Reply to: help:Mahler 7 connections with contemporary crisis/research? posted by Guillermo on October 28, 19102 at 10:02:34:
If you live anywhere near a major city, with a major symphony orchestra, it really isn't accurate to say that the 7th is still the "black sheep" of Mahler symphonies, I don't think. In San Francisco, where I live close to, the 7th has been performed by Edo De Waart and M. Tilson-Thomas. In addition, the Concertgebouw brought the 7th symphony with them, when they visited here in the early 80's. Herbert Blomstedt didn't do the 7th, but then again, he did very little Mahler anyway. You yourself live not too far from N.Y., and the N.Y. Phil. has performed the 7th numerous times in their long history. In terms of recordings, there really are no fewer recordings of the 7th than most of the other Mahler symphonies. When the Chicago Symphony recently visited N.Y., they played the 7th. So did Welser-Most/Cleveland. The 7th is often times taken on tour, in other words. In terms of orcherstration, the 7th actually requires a smaller orchestra than several other big Mahler symphonies. For example, it only asks for four horns, instead of six of eight. I believe that the seventh can be performed with as little as four or five percussionists. The tympani are not doubled in the 7th, and no vocalists or chorus is required.
Also, I don't think you ought to go out on a limb to mystify the 7th, or to further continue cliches about it. Mahler himself refered to the finale as being, "a ray of sunshine in C major". At the dress rehearsal for its world premiere in Prague, when Alma walked into the room, Mahler had the orchestra jump to the start of the finale. Yes, the first movement is one of Mahler's most modern and progressive in terms of harmony. In that sense, it relates to the 10th symphony. In a way, it's like hearing the entire 6th symphony compressed into one movement, and then further modernized in terms of its harmony. The middle movement scherzo sort of foreshawdows the dark, "boogy man" middle movements that Bartok occionally conjured up. But beyond all that, the 7th is really just another "darkness to light" journey in the Mahler canon, abeit both epic and narrative in quality. It takes us from the utter darkness and defeat of the 6th symphony, and dumps us on the doorstep of the mighty "symphony of a thousand". Yes, it's orchestration is both modern and quircky, but that's really more a matter of Mahler exploring what the modern symphony orchestra could do. In many ways, the 7th is also Mahler's "concerto for orchestra".
Good luck on your paper. All I'm saying is don't expect to some of dark, secret, encrypted code about the 7th, because it simply ain't there. What you see is what you get, in other words.
Barry Guerrero