Benjamin Britten arrangement of Mahler's "What the Wild Flowers Tell Me"

[waderice]

I just received a robo- e-mail from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra where they are going to perform Benjamin Britten's arrangement of Mahler's "What the Wild Flowers Tell Me", on May 27 and 28.  This is apparently an arrangement by Britten of the second movement of M3.  I had never heard of Britten's arrangement until I received this e-mail.  Can anyone enlighten me on it?  The BSO website gives no details.  Thanks!

Wade

[Russell]

Paavo Jarvi recorded it for Virgin a few years ago.  I've got the CD, but it's been a while since I've heard it, so I don't recall the Britten arrangement.

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Movements-Totenfeier-Symphony-Blumine/dp/B0026RQ1IU

Russell

[stillivor]

Here's a note I found about it.


In this final tribute to Mahler's centenary celebration, the BSO will perform Benjamin Britten's arrangement of Mahler's delicate Second Movement from his monumental Third Symphony, titled What the Wild Flowers Tell Me. This work was composed at a time when Mahler had left the stress and politics of the Hamburg State Opera Theater to move to a small Austrian village to pursue his compositional career. He found solace in a small cottage next to a flower filled meadow in the Austrian countryside. The bucolic scenery inspired him to write one of his most carefree and gentle pieces. When Britten first heard a performance of a Mahler symphony he was captivated by the clarity and beauty in the music and this began a long relationship between Britten and Mahler's music. In the 1940s, a British publishing firm suggested to Britten to arrange this particular movement for a small orchestra so that English chamber orchestras would have the opportunity to perform Mahler's music.


Ivor

[waderice]

Thanks, Ivor!  At least someone in England back a long time ago before the Mahler revival had the good sense to want to bring a short sampling of his music before the public.

Wade

[stillivor]

The Mahler Companion ed. Mitchell and others is very good on Mahler performances ib England from the earliest up to the end of the 50s.

Henry Wood gave the first English performance of M1 on 21 Oct. 1903.
He gave the first of M4 on 25 Oct. 1905
Boult gave the first nglish performance of Klagende Lied, tho' with piano accompaniment 25 and 26 July 1914.
Oscar Fried conducted the BBCSO in M9 in Jan 1935

and so on. benjamin Britten was noting, in the 30s, that Mahler was "gaining a large public."


Ivor