Today, May 18, marks the centenary of the death of Gustav Mahler. is the last composer from whom I have spoken and is one of my favorites, I could not pass this event almost unnoticed. The composer who has always known that "time was yet to come" and asked to be buried next to his daughter Mary, who died 6 years. The author of the huge symphonies that would see the light of the success many years after his death, and could not be present at the premiere of his most representative works: the "Song of the Earth," the Ninth Symphony and the unfinished Tenth ... Fortunately there witnessed one of their few successes as a composer: the release of the massive Eighth Symphony or Symphony of a Thousand. " Today I find a while (long) to hear it again: this is my small tribute to this genius who both contributed to the development of music in later years.
There are few things I like best to make plans: I like to organize, prioritize, compartmentalize my duties ...
But sometimes life is a succession of unexpected events and no apparent connection that disrupts our schedule of activities so reasonably established. Of course we try to overcome what unexpected stylish, but with the surprising result that our agenda has been further emotional overload.
As I am of the opinion that circumstances can often be beyond our control, but not our ability to make decisions, changes in approach and perspective!
Among other things, will "rest" this blog for a while. I did not want to do without saying goodbye to all those who have helped me to define it, thinking, writing, music, illustrate: my blogger friends so many ideas and advice you gave me, my fellow club that you have worked with your photos and others, all who know me and come to visit every week, to which you have found me on internet gambling and you have added to the list of friends ... Who ask for more?
At times writing this blog has been as exciting as if writing a book. I enjoyed this journey in good company: yours.
Very few musicians have been passed which in Gustav Mahler: the success and knowledge of his works came almost a century after his death. It's true: Mahler, born in 1860 and died in 1911, always knew that "his time was yet to come" (he himself said) for many years was a composer barely played, and his work had to wait until the centenary of his birth for this trend began to change.
Today his works are interpreted in both programming and recordings as assiduously as those of Beethoven or Brahms .... Now is unanimously considered one of the greatest musical artists of the twentieth century : complexity their music, the richness of expression, the audacity of his musical language, the fatalism, the joy unleashed, sometimes agonizing anxiety, have inclined many to think that Gustav used his art as "a shoulder to cry" and as a kind of canvas on which embodied his deepest moods.
.
son of parents whose marriage of convenience was miserable the whole family, Gustav was the second of a total of 14 children, of which only four would reach adulthood. He lived with the death of her brothers since she was very small and that undoubtedly marked the rest of his life, and of course, also the work. The references to death and childhood are recurrent in many of his compositions.
From its beginnings as a music student said as a pianist and then felt the need to compose, their experience in a theater of people as props assistant, cleaner, stage and musical director came up to this world and decided to become a conductor, for which he knew he had an infinite capacity. The course of his life alternated between those two facets: to critically acclaimed orchestral director and composer more misunderstood.
As soon became a famous conductor requested by theaters around the world, the audience of the time failed to understand or how to respond in their own compositions, musical language as a novel, nor a new concept of the structure of his works, or ironic winks, or the environment at times "rarefied harmony" of his music: the criticism was devastating and the reception of his works, always cold.
Of course, these circumstances discouraged the composer, although loyal admirer of Beethoven's personality and always had the Master as an example of sacrifice and self-improvement, which always encouraged him to keep trying.
Mahler had a constant character, meticulous, almost obsessive, able to rise above difficulties and specialist "escape forward", but also its dark side: sometimes too lonely, angry and depressed, could now catalogársele as "bipolar" for its constant changes of mood. These ups and downs together with his whole life he had poor health, sometimes made him a person cranky, difficult and intractable.
already being an established director in Vienna, at age 41 knew that was the great love of his life, Alma Schindler, 20. On this relationship have run many stories, starting with the same newspaper that Alma was since I knew.
Both had many stories behind her Mahler was known for his sonic love affair with all kinds of opera singers, musicians, friends, wives Alma was very co ... beautiful and she knew, and admired as he heard of conductor decided to meet at all costs.
He fell in love immediately and after three months of engagement, married in 1902, were very happy the first years of their marriage and had two daughter, Mary and Anna.
But it seems that sometimes one event follows another and another ... at age six, the eldest daughter, Mary, died of scarlet fever, a fact that the whole family plunged into a crisis that was compounded when, shortly time, Mahler himself was diagnosed with a severe heart condition which changed him forever.
His life took a radical turn, used to working tirelessly for duty and devotion, his doctors recommended drastically lower their activity level. The family had a house in an idyllic location in the south of Austria, surrounded by mountains and lakes where they spent summers and where Mahler, a great lover of mountain climbing, diving and climbing, relaxing, inspiring, isolated and could compose in peace. For
also had to forget their country walks and climbs, both had given their music.
In the summer of 1908 was established a crisis in marriage coming brewing for some time: Mahler increasingly sicker and more depressed, with constant throat infections and hemorrhoids that eventually end up complicating, and Alma, depressed, sad and discouraged.
The big difference of age, be tied to an old, sick and the sad situation of the family, eventually leading her to meet another man, Walter Gropius, with whom he maintained a relationship Alma which he never wanted to speak clearly, as occurred when Mahler was most needed.
When Mahler knew he was dying he told Alma he wanted a simple grave in which only put his name, nothing more.
"Those who come to see me, know I'm there. The others do not have to know."
is buried in Vienna, the city that witnessed his greatest hits.
Mahler wrote chamber music, choral works, song cycles and symphonies ... for many it is in the symphonies which peaked greatness as a composer, expanding and innovating in all senses and turning in the reflection of human experiences, both joyful and tragic as trivial and profound.
The Adagietto for harp and strings of 5 ª Symphony is the fourth movement of the five members of this work, composed between 1901 and 1902, and in a very special personal circumstances (Mahler Alma had just met, and inspiration is very obvious), for some, particularly the symphony and that you listen Adagietto was like a "wedding gift" from Gustav to Alma, as a matter of musically portraying his wife.
According to some music critics as Soper, "this tune clamp times at the border of kitsch, is one of the most conspicuous imagined love songs by the musician. "
As one of the best-known of the composer, it seemed a good idea to begin with.
There is so much and so great to hear from Mahler ...
Surely some perceive it because he was part of the soundtrack of Luchino Visconti's film Death in Venice ".
This is version of director Rafael Kubelik, leading the Orchestra des Bayerischen Rundfunks, which he recorded the complete symphonies of the 10 Mahlerian in 1971.
To me it is one of the versions that I like, although there are many very good: Leonard Bernstein I also love.
Once again we returned to the area of \u200b\u200bParque Natural de las Sierras Tejeda and Alhama Almijara, straddling the provinces of Malaga and Granada. is getting closer to the heat Andalusian install until well into September, so it's time to kick these mountains and explore its winding trails. We're still riding in the cold and the wind through here in winter and almost suffocating heat of summer, because of its low altitude and high humidity close to the sea ....
So said and done, and this time the portion of these mountains has been chosen the path of Rio Verde. It is a route well known and popular among walkers and lovers of the sport, full of deep limestone canyons through which flows the most beautiful mountain river in the area (well, I have heard some colleagues comment that the river chives, also belonging to the park, may be more attractive because it is wild).
The path through which the route passes very well signposted by the way, is very broken in some areas by erosion, and at times, especially on steep climbs or descents, it is hard to do, but the effort the walk is rewarded by looking around and fill the view with the landscape that surrounds us: spectacular cliffs, verdant hillsides and in the depths, the Green River with its murmuring waters and incredible color, waiting with waterfalls, pools, caves and hidden so clean channel seems to be a source, always tempting.
In our case, we performed a linear route of about 16.5 km or so and with a pronounced slope, which has been the difficult part of the day. Fortunately, the weather has been with us and today (just for today ...!) has not rained nor has it been too hot, so one of my colleagues said, it seems that "we ordered the day" this excursion.
This is the "Waterfall of the petrified trees." It is so named because it stuck between the rocks there are some pine trees that were there when the loggers, long ago, were transported by the river, with over many years, the limestone deposits that pulls the water has been covering and are now really "rock." At the pool you see you were taking a bath in some trail compis ....¡ with these waters are cooler than now! But this is not the most spectacular: a little lower, then more water breaks, there are bigger ones, and one of them also were watching a group that was canyoning, and in which, of course, went to bathe our friends.
This photo of my friend Pepe with me You'll get a rough idea about the size of the waterfall and pond. I found an incredible place ... so close to Granada!
This tour of the Green River channel can be extended to reach the coast of Granada, downstream of the junction between it and the Rio Seco, and all the time is just as nice . Resists a half suspension bridge standing (some are broken by the force of these waters), but it can easily cross the stream in some sections, and in others, for giving a break from rock gazelle rock, what can we do?
Our route to end just when it came time to eat, to take us around (with a few ramps that go, go) with relative ease. The food on the river, the little bit of rest after ... and get going again, not going to be that the black cloud up there for downloading give last minute. On our way back, to slow down, we enjoyed the greenery around us, a true display of Mediterranean forests full bloom, so typical of these mountains: aromatic, ferns, heathers, palmettos, pines, carob trees, willows ...
Here is the level and profile of the route, simple and very clearly: in the foreground, the small deviation corresponds to a time closer to the reservoir of Funes, and the profile looks great the gap: on the way everything down to the river, and back ... then to retrace his steps ...!
As in all our outlets, the day ended our Paradita in the nearest bar. These pictures were made by the two Antonios, the two Manolos, Concha, Vicente and Pepe all day are on page of the Club.
