Adam Fischer & Düsseldorfer Symphoniker - Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (2017)

“I am delighted to perform and record the complete symphonies of Gustav Mahler with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker. The result, we hope, should be something special: a rendition that stems from an active collaboration in which we mutually inspire one another. This should not be “my” Mahler, but “our” Mahler…….. Gustav Mahler premiered his First Symphony at the age of 29. For personal reasons I feel a close bond with that 29-year-old Musical Director of the Hungarian State Opera. 120 years later, I was named General Music Director of the same opera house. We both hastily abandoned the institution after 2 1/2 years.

I would still like to relate a personal reminiscence of one of the performances of “my” First Symphony. The First Symphony was the first occasion I ever heard music by Mahler live on stage: in Vienna when I was nineteen years old, and the experience marked me for life. This also marked the first time I wondered whether, under certain circumstances, an “analogous”, non-literal interpretation of a composer’s intentions might not be the wrong path to choose. We had studied Mahler at conservatory and I knew the score. I attended the concert with great expectations, but immediately noticed that the musicians were not paying much heed whatsoever to Mahler’s infamous unorthodox instructions: his unusual bowings, or the demand that the brass instruments should play with the bells facing upwards. This became quite clear in the finale. Mahler indicates that “all the horn players play standing in order to attain maximum volume!”. The Vienna horn players remained seated the whole time. After the performance I went over to the musicians and asked one of them why they hadn’t played with the “bells upwards” or why they had not stood up. Visibly irritated, he exclaimed: “Young man, we are not at the circus!” (from his remarks in the booklet)

Tracklist:

Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)

Symphony No. 1 in D Major
1 I. Langsam schleppend. Wie ein Naturlaut - Im Anfang sehr gemaechlich (Live) 15:32
2 II. Kraeftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (Live) 07:43
3 III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (Live) 10:04
4 IV. Stürmisch bewegt (Live) 19:41

Personnel:
Düsseldorfer Symphoniker
Adam Fischer, conductor