Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major & Blumine

Featuring

Hannu Lintu
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gustav Mahler

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Composition History

The original second movement of Mahler's First Symphony, titled Blumine, was discarded by the composer after performances in 1889 and 1893, resulting in the more concise four-movement form.

Critical Reception

The premiere of Mahler's First Symphony in Budapest in 1889 was poorly received, with audiences unreceptive to its novelties like natural sound imitations and unusual orchestrations.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mahler's first four symphonies share an affinity with songs, often using texts directly from or closely connected to the folk poetry anthology Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

Composition History

Mahler's First Symphony was originally titled 'A Symphonic Poem in Two Sections' or 'Symphonic Poem in the Form of a Symphony' and had five movements.

Composition History

Mahler later titled his First Symphony 'Titan' after a novel by early Romantic German author Jean Paul, whose hero embodied key elements of Mahler's art.

Performer Biography

Hannu Lintu, the conductor on this album, studied cello, piano, and conducting at the Sibelius Academy and won first prize in the Nordic Conducting Competition in Bergen in 1994.

Composer Biography

Gustav Mahler, born into an impoverished Jewish family in Bohemia, rose to become one of the world's most sought-after orchestral conductors, leading the Budapest Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Metropolitan Opera in New York.