AVE VERUM CORPUS, K 618Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)4 minutesThe definitive catalogue of Mozart’s works by Ludwig Köchel ends at K. 626, the Requiem (unfinished) of late 1791, which means that the K. 618 Ave verum corpus is a very late work indeed. This brief but exquisite motet for four part chorus, strings and organ was composed for the parish St. Stephan of Baden bei Wien, whose chorus master Anton Stoll was a friend of Mozart. It was the only work Mozart composed during June 1791 as he was primarily occupied with the upcoming premiere of his opera The Magic Flute (K. 620). The  Ave verum corpus was later transcribed for piano by Franz Liszt, which piano version was orchestrated by Tchaikovsky under the title “Preghiera (Prayer)” as part of his suite Mozartiana.SYMPHONY NO 2 IN C MINOR, “RESURRECTION” Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)85 minutesGustav Mahler once said: “I am thrice homeless, as a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian amongst Germans, as a Jew throughout the world. Always an intruder, never welcomed.” Yet despite these handicaps, he became known as the world’s greatest conductor, he attained the most prestigious musical directorship in the world (the Vienna State Opera), he married the (reputedly) most beautiful woman in Vienna, and he composed this “Resurrection” Symphony whose seemingly Christian message transcends all religions. Mahler was a part-time composer who created 10 numbered symphonies and the song-symphony Das Lied von der Erde , each lasting 60–90 minutes, between 1888 and 1910.The Second Symphony was composed between 1888 and 1894 and premiered in 1895. It calls for, in musicologist Richard Taruskin’s careful wording, “the largest orchestra ever specifically demanded by any composer to date.” It requires at least four each of the woodwind family, 10 each of horns and trumpets, four trombones plus tuba, seven timpani played by two (or three) players, a very large percussion battery including bells and two tam-tams, an organ, and as many string players as possible. Many of the brass and percussion players form an off-stage band during the finale.The “Resurrection” evokes a number resemblances to previous masterpieces, particularly by Beethoven. The symphony as a whole follows the emotional narrative established by Beethoven in his Fifth and Ninth Symphonies of “from darkness to light,” frequently titled per aspera ad astra by musicologists. The key of C Minor is that of Beethoven’s Fifth, but C Minor is also the key of the funeral march of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. And the usage of a chorus and vocal soloists in the final movement immediately conjures Beethoven’s Ninth, the “choral” Symphony.I. Allegro maestoso. The 25 minute opening movement began as a stand-alone symphonic poem titled Todtenfeier, or death ceremony. Composed in 1888, it became, with minor alterations, the C Minor funeral march of the “Resurrection.” The opening theme, played by the low strings with rests interrupting the flow, is similar to the rhythmic character of the first theme of Beethoven’s Fifth. Mahler builds this opening theme up to a shattering statement on the brass before subsiding and allowing the emergence of the tender second theme on strings, flutes and horns in the “Heavenly” key of E Major. This second theme remains in the background throughout the movement, re-emerging when contrast is needed. The development of the main theme marches forward over a long time span, growing in intensity until culminating in a series of shattering chords whose dissonance level exceeds even that of the opening of the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth. The final two chords of the development are very similar to those in Siegfried’s Funeral Music  by Richard Wagner, another funeral march in C Minor. The coda is extremely dark, ending very softly, and prompting Mahler to ask for a pause of at least five minutes, possibly more, before continuation of the performance.II. Andante moderato. The second movement was termed an “interlude” by Mahler — his own description is: “It has surely happened that you have followed a loved one to the grave, and then perhaps, on the way back, there suddenly arose the image of a long-dead hour of happiness, which now enters your soul like a sunbeam that nothing can obscure…”III. Scherzo: In ruhig fliessender Bewegung. The scherzo is another interlude, but of a much more sardonic character. It is based upon Mahler’s song titled “St. Anthony of Padua’s Sermon to the Fishes” from Des Knaben Wunderhorn  (a collection of German folk poetry). The words of the song depict rapt attention by the fishes to the sermon, but as soon as the sermon has ended they revert to their sinful ways. The climax of the scherzo is an orchestral explosion which Mahler called “a cry of disgust,” and this passage is repeated to open the finale.IV. Urlicht. This song for the alto soloist follows the Scherzo without a pause. The title means “Primal Light,” and the words are taken from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. The texts and a translation are shown on a following page of this book. Urlicht leads directly into the finale without a pause.V. Im Tempo des Scherzo’s. Wild herausfahrend. This finale lasts 35–38 minutes and depicts the Day of Judgement and Resurrection of Christian theology. The chorus and soloists sing only in the last 10–12 minutes. After a reprise of the “cry of disgust,” Mahler sets the stage for the ensuing events with a series of “previews,” in which the themes are played softly prior to their ultimate statement. The actual Day of Judgement is announced by the horn section with high pitched trills on the woodwinds. Two huge percussion crescendos announce the bursting forth of the graves and then a march of the dead, which includes a variant of the familiar Dies Irae chant. After another orchestral explosion flute trills represent the last bird calls on earth. The chorus enters very softly, followed by soprano and alto soloists. The music builds to an E Flat Major climax that Mahler described as “colossal,” with organ and bells. Mahler’s final theological note is very ecumenical: “And behold, it is no judgement; there are no sinners, no just. None is great, none small. There is no punishment and no reward. An overwhelming love illuminates our being. We know and are.”