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Mahler's Fifth Symphony, Fourth Movement
Kristy 2022-11-09 18:15:46
The fourth movement of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony, Adagietto (アダージェット), is a love letter from Mahler to Alma (later Madame Mahler), a painter who was still in a relationship at the time. The protagonist written by Thomas Mann, the original author of "Soulbroken Venice", is an old writer. But director Luchino Visconti took the original intent further and transformed the protagonist into a Mahler-like character. Also on stage are Mahler's relatives and friends, 12-tone Austrian composer Arnold Schonberg. The two people's debate on "beauty" is also the main point of contrast in "Soulbroken Venice".
Extended Reading
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Gustav von Aschenbach: You know sometimes I think that artists are rather like hunters aiming in the dark. They don't know what their target is, and they don't know if they've hit it. But you can't expect life to illuminate the target and steady your aim. The creation of beauty and purity is a spiritual act.
Alfred: No Gustav, no. Beauty belongs to the senses. Only to the senses.
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Gustav von Aschenbach: You cannot reach the spirit with the senses. You cannot. It's only by complete domination of the senses that you can ever achieve wisdom, truth, and human dignity.