Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, symphony by Gustav Mahler. Premiering on October 18, 1904, in Cologne, the work’s ultimately optimistic colors may have been influenced by the composer’s marriage in 1902 to artistically gifted Alma Schindler; many music historians have interpreted the instrumental symphony as a sort of love letter to her. Its gentle fourth movement (Adagietto), employing only the string section and a harpist and often performed separately from the rest of the symphony, is Mahler’s most familiar music, used often to accompany romantic scenes in films and on television. Its opening fanfare is routinely required audition material for orchestral trumpeters.
Of his Symphony No. 5, Mahler once observed, “There is nothing romantic or mystical about it; it is simply an expression of incredible energy. It is a human being in the full light of day, in the prime of his life.” One might imagine that the composer, who was only 41 when he began work on it in 1901, might have intended this powerful and virile work as a reflection of himself, but in fact he was enduring difficult times, struggling through serious health problems and artistic quarrels with his orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic. Soon, he would be forced to resign his conducting post with the ensemble, though he would continue to be associated with the Vienna Court Opera. Yet it was in Cologne, not Vienna, that Mahler would premiere this new symphony, for in that German city he felt less constrained by the rigors of life at home.
By this time, the symphony had lain complete for three years, but it was not until the days leading up to the premiere that the composer began to sense clouds on the horizon. After the first rehearsal, he wrote to Alma, “The public, oh heavens, what are they to make of this chaos, of which new worlds are forever being engendered, only to crumble in ruin the moment after? What are they to say to this primeval music, this foaming, roaring, raging sea of sound?” Indeed, the premiere did not go particularly well, for the music was spacious and challenging; more rehearsal time might have helped. However, the experience still allowed the composer to hear the music complete and develop his own opinions about his work. Mahler soon set about revising the symphony. He would conduct it nine more times in the seven years that remained to him, and each time he would revise the work anew. The last revision was in 1911, in the final months of his life.
The symphony uses a grand orchestra, as was Mahler’s usual practice, with healthy doses of brass and percussion along with the strings and woodwinds. The variety and number of instruments gave him many tonal colors on which to draw, allowing him to craft a marvelously varied tapestry of sound. Harmonies feel richer when different instruments bring their different voices to the various layers of each chord, and Mahler, as a much-in-demand orchestral conductor, knew this fact better than many.
Much of his Symphony No. 5 is bold and dramatic, beginning with the utterly solo trumpet fanfare of military mood first heard in the opening moments, then recurring frequently, offset by more lyrical interludes, especially for strings. Energy and determination, if not always optimism, are the dominant images, and the music might suit a story in which the brave, young hero sets out against a formidable foe. Mahler’s German movement heading (he generally avoided the usual Italian phrases) is “Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt,” that is, a sorrowful march at a measured pace, firm, and like a solemn procession. Careful listeners will discern a subtle response in the movement to the opening notes of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and there are quotations from other composers throughout the work, including his own Symphony No. 4.
The second movement tends to be grand and turbulent, often punctuated by splashes of brass and percussion. Strings and woodwinds are made to sometimes dash with frantic energy, while other, generally briefer, passages are more gently romantic in mood. Mahler has declared that he wishes it to be “Stürmisch bewegt, mit gröβter Vehemenz”—moved by storms, with the greatest vehemence—and the notes upon the page almost insist upon that interpretation.
By contrast, the third movement (Scherzo) is often buoyant and bright with dance-like themes, though rich solos for horn and woodwinds appear in the central pages. Urgent percussion brings back the dance-like moods, which carry into the final celebratory measures. “Kräftig, nicht zu schnell”—strong and not too fast—is how the composer himself described this movement.
The justly famed fourth movement (Adagietto) is a break from the action. Woodwinds, brass, and percussion are all set aside, with only strings and harp used to evoke a sweetly reflective mood, as if of a love scene. Mahler wished it to be played “Sehr langsam”—very slow; he would, perhaps, be pleased to know that the music would ultimately be used to accompany countless romantic films and television scenes.
By the symphony’s finale, one feels sure the young hero has triumphed, for the final movement, after opening with a single long horn tone immediately echoed in the strings, moves onward cheerfully with the sunny motion of a walk in the countryside on a pleasant morning. Gradually, Mahler builds to a spirit of utter triumph, its themes broad and filled with energy. The only German word he attached to this movement is “Frisch”—fresh—perhaps implying deep breaths of fresh air. In all, it is an ambitious musical journey that, after many trials, culminates in a happy ending, and what more can one ask of life?