Review

Gustav Mahler
Kindertotenlieder:

Arranged by Erik Saras edited by Charles Vernon

Trombone and piano

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Mahler composed the first two songs of Kindertotenlieder in 1901, while writing his Symphony No.5, and during the first happy months of his marriage, and completed the cycle in 1904 while working on his Symphony No.6. They are settings of poems by Friedrich Rückert (1788 -1866) who wrote them in 1834 after losing his two youngest children in a scarlet fever epidemic (streptococcal infection).

The first song re-appears in the first movement of the 5th symphony, and the second song in its Adagietto. The last song is quoted in the Finale of his 6th symphony, and the fourth song in the Adagio of the 9th symphony. Kindertotenlieder may be key to a full understanding of Mahler’s later symphonies. Tragedy struck Mahler’s family in 1907 when he was writing his 8th symphony; his daughter Maria died from scarlet fever at the age of three.

There are five songs; they are in their original keys - D minor, C minor, C minor, E-flat and D minor. There are few large intervals, the largest being an octave, and technically these pieces do not present too many challenges, but artistically I think they will be difficult. They express a wide range of emotion, from the sorrowful resignation of the first song ‘Nun will die Sonn’ so hell aufgeh’n!’ to the bitterness and anger of the fifth song ‘In diesem Wetter!’

The absence of words supposes the development of an independent musical narrative, and without them, I think it will be hard to play these songs with their intended phrasing and expression; texts, of course, may be found online. However, once they have been learned, performance of these songs should be a deeply rewarding experience.

There are 14 collisions between notes and performance directions, and these could have been avoided by small adjustments in system spacing, which is quite inconsistent already. In at least three instances, collisions may be a distraction for the pianist. Titles and more than 30 directions are given in German, eg Mit leidenschaftlichen Ausdruck (With passionate expression); translations are not provided.

The part for trombone (or euphonium) is given in bass clef; range is G-g-flat¹. An arrangement for alto trombone is published separately.

Erik Saras is a bass trombone player and composer currently living in New York. Charles Vernon is bass trombonist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.