Mahler's 9th Symphony

Started by Fortissimo, December 16, 2009, 02:32:53 PM

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Fortissimo

Kind of an opinion question but do you guys think that Mahler's 9th Symphony is based on the 5 stages of the psychological stages of death?  i read this somewhere and somewhat agree after listening to the Symphony a few times.

Brahmsian

Welcome to GMG, Fortissimo!  :) 

I don't know what to think of the 9th, besides being a fantastic, epic symphony.  :)

greg

Oh, gee, start a thread about THIS ONE, eh?  ;D

What I want to know is if the stuff he said about the symphony in the Ken Russell film was true or just made up. This lady tells him she hears the whole symphony is about death, and he objects, saying that instead it is a farewell to love.

To me, it seems to start off with an awakening and go through many different emotional states, until the realization of the coming death/farewell to life/farewell to love/whatever becomes the main focus in the final movement, and the whole movement it sounds like it just struggles with it. Finally, the last few minutes ponder acceptance and finally fades out like a soul in limbo coming to terms with death and fading into eternity.

Either way, as everyone already knows, this symphony is simply my favorite thing there is, period.  I guess that's all that matters. 8)

Herman

Five stages of death? :o

I only know of three (maybe because I'm not dead, yet): dead, deader, undead.

I'd just enjoy the music, instead of mistaking it for a psychology manual.

PerfectWagnerite

#4
Quote from: Fortissimo on December 16, 2009, 02:32:53 PM
Kind of an opinion question but do you guys think that Mahler's 9th Symphony is based on the 5 stages of the psychological stages of death?  i read this somewhere and somewhat agree after listening to the Symphony a few times.
I think that's total BS.

I read somewhere that this symphony about 5 types of flying monkeys.

Quote from: Herman on December 16, 2009, 10:47:08 PM
Five stages of death? :o

I only know of three (maybe because I'm not dead, yet): dead, deader, undead.

I'd just enjoy the music, instead of mistaking it for a psychology manual.
Undead ? So this work is about vampires and zombies?

Todd

Somehow I doubt Mahler wrote a work based on psychological theories and stages.  At times it seems to be inspired by death, in particular the death of his daughter, but that's quite a bit different.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Renfield

#6
Let me echo the sentiment that Mahler is very unlikely to have written the 9th symphony as some sort of strictly psychological allegory. Although it does feel, to me, a way he might have used to deal with death. But not describe it.

Scarpia

I think a compelling argument can be made that the symphony is organized around the theme of death.  The first movement a struggle between a life affirming theme and the specter of death, the second movement a denial of death with somewhat grotesque gaity, the third a sarcastic confrontation with the idea, and the final moving towards an acceptance of death as part of life.  But to assign a specific psychological program to the work strikes me as too narrow to describe such a wide-ranging work of art.