“Just when the confusion is at its height
and the stampeding of initially disciplined
troops has surpassed all limits, a command
from the general instantly restores law and
order.” The orchestra rapidly unravels into
total silence. Then the violins saunter back
in with the second half of their opening
theme to start the recapitulation, and we
are back on the road to Heaven.
Movement 2: The C-minor Scherzo
presents another risky detour on the
journey. Mahler subtitled this movement
“Freund Hain spielt auf” or “Friend Hain
strikes up [the music].” Freund Hain is
a child’s bogeyman in German folklore.
Here he takes the shape of a devilish fiddler, impersonated by the concertmaster
playing a violin tuned a clashing step above
his colleagues’ instruments to resemble a
scratchy, out-of-tune country fiddle.
Movement 3: Having moved past the
temptations of Freund Hain, we reach the
great G Major Adagio, the heart of the
work and the movement Mahler considered his finest. Two long themes alternate
in the variations