In 1907, Gustav Mahler composed his Eighth
symphony, predominantly a vocal work. He wrote for
a much larger orchestra than the norm, including a
pipe organ, a piano, a celesta, extra percussion,
and an off-stage brass band. The vocal forces
comprised two adult choruses, a children’s chorus,
and eight soloists.
Mahler himself wrote about the task. When he entered his summer composing hut in Austria’s Tyrol region, the medieval hymn “Veni, Creator Spiritus,” seized him with a hold so great that he worked feverishly for some six weeks to complete his musical interpretation, without a text of the words of the hymn to guide him. Later, when he consulted the actual hymn, he found the text of his composition matched the original almost perfectly.
After pondering what music or text could possibly complete this work, he settled on the last section of Goethe's Faust in which Faust, having made a pact with Mephistopheles, and having consequently been consigned to hell, was redeemed by the pleas of his earthly amour Gretchen and by choruses of children and young angels. He wrote to a friend that “this is my greatest work. I have put everything into it ... It is as if the universe suddenly broke into song.”
Thus the work is unique for incorporating two sections of well-known poetry: the Latin hymn, and the great German work, Goethe’s story of Faust, in song with full orchestra.
In 1910 the first performance was arranged for a large hall in Munich, Germany. The concert manager was so taken by the magnitude of the work – the choruses, soloists and a huge orchestra – that he gave the symphony its nickname, "Symphony of a Thousand." Mahler deplored that promotional slogan that has stuck to the work ever since. Indeed, some 1,047 performers were involved. Many luminaries, heads of state, and fellow composers attended the premiere. The performance was Mahler’s greatest public success. As the applause died down, hundreds of children from the choral groups crowded around Mahler pressing flowers into his hands and shouting “Our Mahler, Our Mahler!” A second performance took place the next day, to the same public acclaim.
The young Leopold Stokowski attended these concerts and was greatly impressed, not only with the music but with the spectacle. When shortly thereafter he was engaged to be the permanent conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he arranged for the U.S. premiere in 1916. After great success in Philadelphia, he did the New York premiere in Carnegie Hall, where he had the stage enlarged to accommodate the more than 1,000 performers.
Over time, this massive work has been performed infrequently owing to the expense of the large forces needed and the lack of halls great enough to accommodate them. The west coast premiere was at the Hollywood Bowl circa 1948, conducted by Eugene Ormandy. In 1962, Leonard Bernstein performed Part I, the Veni Creator hymn, for the opening of the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall (later renamed Avery Fisher Hall) with the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra that engaged Mahler as conductor shortly before his death in 1911.
In recent years many performances have taken place, over half a dozen in the U.S. in 2008-2009 alone, usually with reduced forces ranging from about 300 to 450, depending on the size of the hall. MahlerFest first performed the Eighth in 1995 at Macky Auditorium, at CU, with about 440 performers. A similar number will perform the work again for the MahlerFest XXII concerts on May 16-17, 2009.
Mahler himself wrote about the task. When he entered his summer composing hut in Austria’s Tyrol region, the medieval hymn “Veni, Creator Spiritus,” seized him with a hold so great that he worked feverishly for some six weeks to complete his musical interpretation, without a text of the words of the hymn to guide him. Later, when he consulted the actual hymn, he found the text of his composition matched the original almost perfectly.
After pondering what music or text could possibly complete this work, he settled on the last section of Goethe's Faust in which Faust, having made a pact with Mephistopheles, and having consequently been consigned to hell, was redeemed by the pleas of his earthly amour Gretchen and by choruses of children and young angels. He wrote to a friend that “this is my greatest work. I have put everything into it ... It is as if the universe suddenly broke into song.”
Thus the work is unique for incorporating two sections of well-known poetry: the Latin hymn, and the great German work, Goethe’s story of Faust, in song with full orchestra.
In 1910 the first performance was arranged for a large hall in Munich, Germany. The concert manager was so taken by the magnitude of the work – the choruses, soloists and a huge orchestra – that he gave the symphony its nickname, "Symphony of a Thousand." Mahler deplored that promotional slogan that has stuck to the work ever since. Indeed, some 1,047 performers were involved. Many luminaries, heads of state, and fellow composers attended the premiere. The performance was Mahler’s greatest public success. As the applause died down, hundreds of children from the choral groups crowded around Mahler pressing flowers into his hands and shouting “Our Mahler, Our Mahler!” A second performance took place the next day, to the same public acclaim.
The young Leopold Stokowski attended these concerts and was greatly impressed, not only with the music but with the spectacle. When shortly thereafter he was engaged to be the permanent conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he arranged for the U.S. premiere in 1916. After great success in Philadelphia, he did the New York premiere in Carnegie Hall, where he had the stage enlarged to accommodate the more than 1,000 performers.
Over time, this massive work has been performed infrequently owing to the expense of the large forces needed and the lack of halls great enough to accommodate them. The west coast premiere was at the Hollywood Bowl circa 1948, conducted by Eugene Ormandy. In 1962, Leonard Bernstein performed Part I, the Veni Creator hymn, for the opening of the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall (later renamed Avery Fisher Hall) with the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra that engaged Mahler as conductor shortly before his death in 1911.
In recent years many performances have taken place, over half a dozen in the U.S. in 2008-2009 alone, usually with reduced forces ranging from about 300 to 450, depending on the size of the hall. MahlerFest first performed the Eighth in 1995 at Macky Auditorium, at CU, with about 440 performers. A similar number will perform the work again for the MahlerFest XXII concerts on May 16-17, 2009.
About Symphony No. 8