Gustav Mahler's symphonic movement "Blumine", played by the WDR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Constantinos Carydis. Recorded live on 22.09.2023 in the Kölner Philharmonie.
Gustav Mahler - Blumine. Symphonic movement
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Constantinos Carydis, conductor
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Introduction to the work:
Gustav Mahler - what a character! However, portraits from his young adulthood do not quite give an idea of this. But the irrepressible will already seems to speak from his eyes: the will to unconditional quality - and this already characterizes the young composer and conductor. In 1864, when Mahler was 24 years old, he took up a position as 2nd Kapellmeister at the court theater in Kassel. One of his tasks was to compose music for the theater's drama productions. This included a stage version of the epic poem "Der Trompeter von Säkkingen" by Joseph Victor von Scheffel, one of the most widely read books in Germany at the time. The main character is called Werner, who falls passionately in love with Margareta. In keeping with his profession, he dedicates a serenade to his beloved on his trumpet. An ideal scene for Mahler's musical imagination. The movement he composed for this is to remain the only one of his entire incidental music to stand up to his demands for quality. He destroys the other numbers.
But what to do with this single movement? Four years later, Mahler had an idea for its use. In 1888, now 2nd Kapellmeister in Leipzig, he ventured to compose his First Symphony. At first, he struggled with the form. His first idea: a symphonic poem in two parts with a total of five movements. In the second part, Mahler places the movement 'rescued' from stage music - now under the title "Blumine", quoting a title by his favorite poet Jeam Paul. In the end, however, he opted for the classical symphonic form with four movements. The "Blumine" music does not seem to fit into the overall concept for various reasons. Musically, it is probably too peaceful for the celestial storms of the symphony. The smaller orchestral forces also don't quite fit into the sound. And then there are the critics who dismiss the music as supposedly "trivial". This sealed the fate of this movement: Mahler banned it from the 1st Symphony in 1896. It was not until 70 years later that "Blumine" was rediscovered at Yale University.
Text: Otto Hagedorn