mahler 9 – IV. Adagio.

We’re at the final movement of this great symphony, and what a movement it is! If you mention Mahler 9 to almost anyone, they’ll invariably start to talk about the first time they ever heard the slow movement, and how it affected them at a critical time in their life.

In the orchestral parts, the string parts span only two pages, yet the movement can last upward of 25 minutes. It’s a very slow piece of music, but not an uneventful one.

This final adagio takes all of the angst and nervous energy of the preceding three movements and turns it all on its head. It’s as if we’ve come through all the stages of grief, and we now must confront the reality of our situation.

This movement is a by turns sobering, uncomfortable, anguished, wistful, resigned, and ultimately somewhat hopeful journey through the soul of an artist who, more than most, bared his soul without reservation.

Through the shared experience of his music we see ourselves and the society in which we live, reflected back at us, unflinchingly and honestly.

The movement opens with a virtual sobbing exhalation in the violins, which becomes a hymn-like melody that seemingly stretches forever. This theme becomes the basis for the entirety of the movement.

[audio:mahler941.mp3]

Formally, the movement superficially resembles the first movement, in that there are several anguished climaxes, each of which ebbs into a deeper, darker place than before.

[audio:mahler942.mp3]

And finally, we find ourselves in a state of exhaustion, with virtually no hope to be found. The tempo marking is Adagissimo – beyond the merely pedestrian notion of slow, and verging into the realm of metaphysics. All seems to be lost – the composer, the orchestra, the audience all must be totally spent at this point. But somehow, there is a glimmer, like the first light of false dawn, that there might be solace, consolation, redemption. I leave further interpretation to you – but make it to the end of this great piece of music, and you will be transformed.

[audio:mahler943.mp3]

Again, all the the audio clips from this series are part of a live recording from 1979 of Leonard Bernstein and the Berlin Philharmonic.

You can pick up this recording either via amazon.com or the DG Web Store. I highly recommend it.