Who Here Has/Have Been Involved in Mahler Performances?

[waderice]

Not to brag about it, but I've been curious as to what members of the Gustav Mahler Board have actually been involved in performances of Mahler's works.  In addition to my having been involved in performances of the Mahler 2nd and 8th symphonies (in the chorus, in the 1970's in Washington), I know of Mike Bosworth in Viet Nam who was in the chorus of the recent first performance of M8 in Viet Nam, and Barry Guerrerro, who has stated he has been involved in the orchestra in Mahler performances (though I don't recall which symphony/ies).

Anyone else here been involved in performances of Mahler?  Care to share your experience/s?

Wade

[barry guerrero]

Most of the Mahler symphony performances I was involved with, were with the Redwood Symphony on the S.F. peninsula (half-way between San Jose and S.F.). They've performed pretty much every work by Mahler that involves an orchestra. However, there have been other amateur, college, and semi-pro orchestras I've performed Mahler with also. I played in a particularly good M1 at Stanford Univ. several decades ago. One of the Mahler 6's I've been involved in combined the UCSF Orchestra (now called Parnassus Symphony) with the L.A. Doctor's Orchestra. We did one performance in S.F. with the S.F. conductor, and performance at U.S.C. (L.A.) with the L.A. conductor. I was captain of the percussion section for that one, and followed pretty much all of Mahler's suggestions for doublings in the percussion. That was fun. I also gave lectures on Mahler 6 before the concerts.

tuba: M1/M2/M6/M7/M9/Das Lied

percussion: M3 (plus doubling tuba in spots)/M4/M5/M6/M10 (Cooke, with my suggestions for the percussion)

I missed out on M8 with the Redwood S.O.  The R.S.O. recently performed the Barshai version of M10.

[John Kim]

There is little to brag about my case but I sang in chorus of Resurrection Symphony twice in the past. They were fun and tremendous experiences.

John

[Russ Smiley]

Wade,

I've performed M1 as an invited sixth horn in an amateur orchestra in the 1990s and have performed M5 as the principal horn a few years ago in that same orchestra after I joined it as a regular member.  I also performed in a pair of a unique performance of the 2nd's "Grosse Appell" that had been arranged by a friend for small wind ensemble, two voices, organ and percussion.

Mahler wrote great parts for the French horn.  As an amateur, I'd always been familiar with them and enjoyed the challenges posed by them like those of Strauss' parts.

Playing M1 was great fun because I had loved his music and had had so little orchestral experience (none with Mahler) after leaving college in the early 1980s.  In that sole M1 performance, I'll never forget being the absolutely first player in the orchestra to enter upon the conductor's upbeat to the final movement.  As I recall, everyone else entered sometime slightly later.  Stürmisch bewegt indeed!  To this day I don't know if I was simply too eager or the rest were waiting for some other invitation to join the outburst as his hand lingered at the apex of his swing.

Undertaking a reduced orchestration of the 2nd's Grosse Appell may seem a severely misguided endeavor, but my now-deceased friend from old my brass quintet took up the challenge inspired, and we players gave it our best.  I'll admit to missing the chorus and strings at the two performances, but I recall giving it my all and getting goose-bumps despite the reduced forces.

The M5 has been the pinnacle of my performing experience.  I'd never dreamed that I've get to perform "Mahler's horn concerto", certainly never as principal.  However, at the end of the 2005/6 season, when the next season's program was announced, I was honored, thrilled, and scared.  I practiced the part all summer, fall, and winter.  In March 2007, I had my once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Though afflicted with the flue, I actually managed a half-way credible performance, moments of which I am very proud. At the concert's end, I was never so exhilarated when invited to take a solo stand.  If asked to do it again, I'd volunteer without hesitation.

Though maybe 'Walter Mitty' experiences, they were very meaningful, and I cherish them... and I thank Mahler for that glorious music.

Russ S

[Zoltan]

I play violin in a (non-musical) university orchestra and we're performing film music and classical music in films this semester. In the latter category falls the Adegietto and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. The minute details one needs to follow to make a good performance are numerous! I've even learnt a few new things that I didn't notice before. The very first grace note in the piece played is different in the violin sections: the first play an E while the second play a D, so for just a moment, there's a nice dissonance before they continue playing the same notes (the old Peters score, the first version of the symphony has them both play a D).

[waderice]

Thanks to those who've responded thus far; now I'll give a bit more detail on the Mahler performances I was involved in.

The week after Easter in 1973, I experienced my first performances of Mahler in M2.  I was then a member of the Washington National Cathedral's Cathedral Choral Society.  We had been selected by conductor Antal Dorati to be the chorus in his three performances of M2 in the Kennedy Center as part of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC's regular concert season.  The soloists were:  Lorna Heywood, soprano; Beverly Wolff, mezzo-soprano.  At the end of each performance, we received a 10-minute standing ovation, an exhilarating experience!

The following year, in April, the Cathedral Choral Society gave two performances of M8 in the Washington National Cathedral.  The orchestra was a pickup one; essentially, they were National Symphony members.  The Cathedral Choral Society was Chorus I and the Washington Choral Arts Society (which appears as Chorus II in Gergiev's recent recording of the work with the LSO in St. Paul's Cathedral, London) was Chorus II.  The conductor was the late director of the Cathedral Choral Society, Dr. Paul Callaway, also the then-organist and director of the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys.  I don't recall all of the names of the soloists; they were essentially local singers.

Wade

[waderice]

Undertaking a reduced orchestration of the 2nd's Grosse Appell may seem a severely misguided endeavor, but my now-deceased friend from old my brass quintet took up the challenge inspired, and we players gave it our best.  I'll admit to missing the chorus and strings at the two performances, but I recall giving it my all and getting goose-bumps despite the reduced forces.

Russ,

This arrangement by your late friend of the Grosse Appel in M2 in a reduced orchestration for brass quintet is a rather curious one.  Can you elaborate further on why he decided to do this, and for what occasion?

Thanks, Wade

[Russ Smiley]

Undertaking a reduced orchestration of the 2nd's Grosse Appell may seem a severely misguided endeavor, but my now-deceased friend from old my brass quintet took up the challenge inspired, and we players gave it our best.  I'll admit to missing the chorus and strings at the two performances, but I recall giving it my all and getting goose-bumps despite the reduced forces.

Russ,

This arrangement by your late friend of the Grosse Appel in M2 in a reduced orchestration for brass quintet is a rather curious one.  Can you elaborate further on why he decided to do this, and for what occasion?

Thanks, Wade

Well, Wade, a "curious" decision indeed, but sincere.  The real source of his inspiration I think has been lost with him.  However, being an amateur like I am, I suspect he thought he'd never get to perform in a real Mahler symphony performance, so he created one that he could participate in.  He and a friend reduced the final 15 minutes of the symphony to be performed at one of our quintet's concerts (at the time we usually performed benefit concerts for one of several local charities).  He was an adventuresome "idea man", not easily dissuaded from pursuing a challenge if he took it up.  The quintet was just the core to the ensemble.  It was augmented with a clarinet, another horn, another trombone, three percussionists, organ, alto, and soprano.  We numbered fourteen plus a conductor.  I'm listening to it now.  It was performed in a resonant space that helped fill the gaps.  By no means was it authentic, but at the time it was meaningful: it is even more so now that he is gone.