Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection" (Arr. B. Walter)

Featuring

Maasa Nakazawa
Suhrud Athavale
Gustav Mahler

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Recording & Production

This recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 arrangement is a world premiere recording, performed by Maasa Nakazawa and Suhrud Athavale.

Instruments

The recording features two Steinway grand pianos: a D274 for the primo part and a D211 for the secondo part.

Composition History

The idea for the choral finale of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 came to him like a 'lightning bolt' during the funeral service for Hans von Bülow, a conductor and composer, in Hamburg.

Performer Biography

Bruno Walter, who arranged Mahler's Symphony No. 2 for piano four hands, was Mahler's assistant at the Hamburg Opera and later premiered Mahler's 'Lied von der Erde' and Ninth Symphony.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mahler intended for a break of 'at least five minutes' between the first and second movements of his Symphony No. 2, to allow for a shift from 'dramatic struggles' to 'contemplative immersion in the charm and beauty of Nature'.

Compositional Technique

The first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is in an oversized free sonata form, featuring a funeral march, a lyrical idea, a theme using Franz Liszt's 'cross motif', and an elegiac concluding group.

Composition History

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, 'Resurrection', began as a standalone symphonic poem titled 'Todtenfeier' (funeral rites), inspired by a poem by Adam Mickiewicz.