Blumine from Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler

“Blumine” was originally the andante second movement of Mahler’s first symphony. In the 1896 Berlin premiere, the movement was cut out due to harsh criticism. Shortly after this, the symphony was published without the Blumine movement and in the subsequent versions of the symphony it was gone.

In contrast with the rest of the symphony, the Blumine movement is written for a small orchestra, with a trumpet solo in the beginning and end of the movement. Despite it being cut from the symphony, traces of its influence can yet be seen in the rest of the movements.

Blumine translates to “floral”, or “flower”, and some believe this movement was written for Johanna Richter, with whom Mahler was infatuated at the time. The style of this movement has much in common with Mahler’s earlier works but also shows the techniques and distinct style of his later compositions.

This movement was rediscovered in 1966 by Donald Mitchell. In 1967, Benjamin Britten gave the first performance of it in over seventy years. Today, whether or not this movement should be performed with the first symphony is still under discourse. Indeed, Mahler himself rejected it from his symphony. Famous Mahler conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Georg Solti and Bernard Haitink never performed it. Some perform Blumine before or after the symphony, while some have performed it as a separate entity.

Whether on its own or as a part of the first symphony, “Blumine” is an exquisite piece of music. A special thank you to Heinz Karl Schwebel for inviting me to create this arrangement.