NEC Philharmonia + Hugh Wolff: Mahler, Symphony No. 7

Gustav Mahler | Symphony No. 7 (1904-06)

Langsam - Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo
Nachtmusik I: Allegro moderato - Molto moderato
Scherzo: Schattenhaft - Fließand aber nicht zu schnell
Nachtmusik II: Andante amoroso
Rondo - Finale

Program note

  The last of three purely instrumental symphonies Gustav Mahler wrote between 1901  and 1905, the Seventh Symphony is perhaps the least performed and most misunderstood. Mahler composed it inside out, writing two inner Andante movements he called Nachtmusik (night-music or nocturnes) in the summer of 1904. The following summer he struggled to integrate these two movements into a larger structure. A scherzo labeled Schattenhaft (shadowy or spectral) found its way to the center of a symmetrical structure; the giant bookends of the first movement and finale were composed last.
       The first movement was particularly problematic for Mahler.  Devoid of inspiration, he took long solo hikes through the Dolomite mountains and boat rides on Alpine lakes. The lapping of water and the gentle rhythm of the oars caught his attention, and the pulsating pianissimo of the symphony’s opening was born. This ostinato is interrupted by the anguished plea of a “tenor horn,” played today on a euphonium. The jagged dotted rhythms become the foundation of a dark and militant march, mixed with wild dances and gentler yearnings. The elaborate canvas —it is the longest of the five movements—is in sonata form with a slow introduction. The intensity and complexity of the introduction and exposition are offset by a more lyrical development section that culminates in an ecstatic passage, cut off abruptly by the return of the hushed introduction and the tenor horn, now in dialogue with the bass trombone.
       The second movement, the first of the two Nachtmusik, is another march—a walk in the night. Mahler called it a “patrol.” Birdcalls and off-stage cowbells put nature at its center. The music oscillates uneasily between major and minor, full of ambiguity and chiaroscuro. A lyrical cello melody provides contrast, as does a mournful, Klezmer-style duet for oboes, later joined by two cellos.
       The macabre scherzo, the shortest movement, is ghostly, wind-whipped night music, a witches’ Sabbath of parody and grotesquerie.
       The second Nachtmusik is a serenade—perhaps an earnest young lover wooing his beloved. The large orchestra is reduced to a more intimate ensemble. Brass and percussion—except for two horns—are silent, while guitar and mandolin, two instruments associated with serenading, are added.
       The sweet romance of this movement—welcome after the darker first three movements—opens the door to a finale Mahler called “bright day.” This is the most radical music Mahler had ever composed. Titled Rondo-Finale, it is an exuberant amalgam of tempi, motifs, styles, and colors—marches, minuets, and waltzes— jump-cutting from one to the next without apparent logic or preparation. It can be considered a giant mosaic, each tile juxtaposed against something completely different. The similarity with the quasi-mosaic style of Gustav Klimt and the Vienna Secession movement—visual artists with whom Mahler had strong ties—is striking. As an emotional journey, it is more like a carnival: lots of dancing, shouting, eating, arguing, and embracing (maybe some jugglers and a magician?). There’s wild excess everywhere, and, above all, the sheer joy and utter messiness of being human on our fragile, fertile planet.                                                                                   
– Hugh Wolff   
 

NEC Philharmonia

First Violin
Hyun Ji Lee
Mitsuru Yonezaki
Rachel Yi
Tsubasa Muramatsu
SooBeen Lee
Anatol Toth
Min-Han Hanks Tsai
Jisoo Kim
Nathan do Amaral Oliveira
Passacaglia Mason
Chloe Hong
Darwin Chang
Sarah McGuire
Rachel Wang
Jusun Kim

Second Violin
Ching Shan Helen Yu
Michael Fisher
Thompson Wang
Byeol Claire Kim
Arun Asthagiri
Felicitas Schiffner
Cameron Alan-Lee
Wangrui Xu
Cherin Lee
Célina Bethoux
YileiYin
Anna Lee
Hila Dahari

Viola
Sachin Shukla
Aidan Garrison
Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza
Hyelim Kong
Nathan Emans
Inácia Afonso
Man To Kwong
Jowen Hsu
Daeun Hong
Bram Fisher

Cello
Claire Deokyong Kim
GaYeon Jenny Kim
Hayoung Moon
Andrew Byun
Annie SeEun Hyung
Jonah Kernis
Joanne Hwang
Xinyue Zhu
Bennet Huang
Shannon Ross
Andres Sanchez
Lillian Yim

Bass
Misha Bjerken
Shion Kim
Colby Heimburger
Gregory Padilla
Yu-Cih Chang
Yihan Wu
Cailin Singleton

Mandolin
Clay Hancock

Guitar
Dermot Gleeson

Flute
Anne Chao
Chia-Fen Chang
Jeong Won Choe
Subee Kim

Piccolo
Shengyu Cui
Subee Kim

Oboe
Gwendolyn Goble
Donovan Bown
Dane Bennett

English horn
Alexander Lenser

Clarinet
Phoebe Kuan
Cole Turkel
Xianyi Ji

E-flat Clarinet
Yi-Ting Ma

Bass Clarinet
Chasity Thompson

Bassoon
Evan Judson
Zoe Beck
Garrett Comrie

Contrabassoon
Matthew Heldt

French horn
Graham Lovely
Willow Otten
Noah Silverman
Grace Clarke
Jihao Li, asst.

Trumpet
Daniel Barak
Eddy Lanois
Reynolds Martin
Nelson Martinez, asst.

Trombone
Eli Canales
Quinn McGillis    

Bass Trombone
Roger Dahlin

Tenor horn
Jaehan Kim

Tuba
James Curto  

Timpani
Connor Willits

Percussion
Jeff Sagurton
Michael Rogers
Ross Jarrell
Eli Reisz
Halle Hayoung Song

Harp
Shaylen Joos
Yoonsu Cha