Katowice Culture Nature Festival / The Gardens of Farewell / NOSPR / Alsop / Mahler - NOSPR

Having composed his gigantic Symphony No. 8 – crowned with the Goethean vision of the afterworld, in which Faust’s soul, seeking salvation, is wandering among other spiritual beings – in his next work, Mahler reached for texts by classical Chinese poets translated by Hans Bethge. These present a diametrically different perspective: instead of the heavens, their gaze is directed towards the Earth.

The Song of the Earth is, in a way, a symphony of songs performed by, alternatively, a tenor and an alto voice, accompanied by the orchestra. Mahler constructs scales, on which he places the woes and joys of human life, troubled by the menace of death, yet replete with wonder at the beauty of nature and the works of human hands. In the final movement – titled The Farewell and lasting as long as the previous five altogether – the kaleidoscope of the lights and shadows of human fate is shown from the perspective of a person bidding both their friend and the world farewell. Looking back at their life, they soberly conclude that it was devoid of happiness. And yet, the farewell takes place in a bright, spring-like aura and in a tone of coming to terms with fate. The one who is passing away finds solace in the image of nature’s eternal renewal. The verdict is a comforting one: despite all else, life was worth living. Mahler’s music reaches heights of subtlety, delicateness and timelessness. 

Marcin Trzęsiok