NOSPR / McCreesh / Morison - NOSPR

Late Romanticism would take various forms: lyrical, dense, monumental. While we associate Gustav Mahler with the last one of the positions, in this programme it will be filled with the Symphony No. 2 by the pride of England – Edward Elgar. Mahler’s Blumine, in turn, an early symphonic fragment of theatrical music, composed still before the Symphony No. 1 (into which it was momentarily incorporated by the composer), is pure lyricism. The “Flowering goddess”, or maybe simply “bloom”, brings to mind the lyricism of Alma, Mahler’s life partner, who would also enjoy composing. While she eventually gave it up to support her husband, a group of her Lieder, which were the peak of musical intimacy at the time, remain. They introduce us to the very heart of the decadent cultural Vienna at the turn of the 19th century.

Jakub Puchalski