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Some tips on making the most of Mahler
Thursday, November 09, 2000 By Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette Classical Music Critic
Short of listening to and reading about Mahler's Symphony No. 3 itself, Gilbert Kaplan and I came up with a few pointers on how you can get the most out of this special work, even on short notice:
1. Keep an open mind, and this piece will surprise you in how accessible it is. Mahler himself felt that, "This work is truly concise, even brief, though it lasts almost two hours," says Kaplan. "It's brief because it's so diverse and naturally pleasant." Indeed, a sizable amount of the Third's orchestration is intimate. "Mahler uses the orchestra to create many orchestras," says Kaplan. "There are many instances where it sounds like you are hearing chamber music."
2. Go with the piece, don't fight it. "This symphony has great moments of release," says Kaplan. If you wait for those moments to come on their own terms, even if this means sitting through stretches of tension, you will reap rewards. "The reward for the hard work by a listener comes in the last two movements," says Kaplan. "There are no violins in the fifth movement, and when the six opens and the new themes pour out of those resonant strings, they just wrap around you like a leather slipper, and you have earned it."
3. Go to Kaplan's special pre-concert lecture on Mahler's life and music at Heinz Hall at 6:30 p.m. Though it's early in the evening, Kaplan's lecture will be a great introduction into Mahler's life with many photos from his book "The Mahler Album," putting the Third Symphony in context.
4. If that fails. "I would recommend people getting to the concert just 10 minutes earlier to read the concert notes," says Kaplan. It's worth it, just so you don't feel rushed when Mariss Jansons raises the baton.
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