The Main Conception in Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony at the Crossroads between Romantic and Modernist Tendencies
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Abstract
Upon revealing the pictorial and emotion world of Mahler’s
Second Symphony, the author emphasizes the thought that no
adequate evaluation of this most complex conception would be
possible without a serious reconsideration of the overall aesthetical
platform of the composer’s early works. In the composition
one can find a cross combination of Romanticist ideas, already
passing from the historical scene at that time, with the Modernist
trends that had been quickly gaining momentum (in France,
Germany and Austria). The writer of the article demonstrates
that early Mahler is practically an established, mature adherent
of modernist art. During the course of the musical analysis of
the Second Symphony’s five movements the traits of the novel
aesthetics of the approaching 20th century are revealed. This is
reflected in the unrestrained fantasy, the capability of connecting
together extremely dissimilar ideas, the synthetic character,
conditionality and symbolism of the musical images.
Mahler’s musical output from the late 1880s and early
1890s do not fit chronologically into the history of European
modernism. It is customary to connect the emergence of the
latter only with the beginning of the new century, and this
demonstrates the remarkable facets of the talent of the composer
who had virtually anticipated the advent of the new epochal
artistic phenomenon.
The conceptual solution of the Second Symphony contains
well-known contradictions, which are logically resolvable
in light of the dual nature of Mahler’s musical style, equally
developing both romantic and modernist tendencies. By means
of his novel language the composer expresses artistic ideas of
great profundity. The programmatic solution of the first two
symphonies is connected with the image of a young romantic
poet inclined to perceive the world on a surreal plane. He aspires
passionately towards happiness and achieves it in his belief in the
overall Harmony of the universe.
Keywords: symphonies of Mahler, musical Romanticism,
musical Modernism
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