Gustav Mahler
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
Short instrumentation: 1 1 1 1 - 1 0 0 0, sax, perc, hp, e.guit, str
Duration: 5'
Bearbeitet von: Thomas Modrej
Instrumentation details:
flute
oboe
clarinet in Bb
bassoon
horn in F
soprano saxophone in Bb
percussion
electric guitar
harp
violin I (6 players)
violin II (6 players)
viola (4 players)
violoncello (4 players)
double bass (2 players)
2nd double bass
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
Printed/Digital
Translation, reprints and more
Gustav Mahler
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
Available digitally
Type: Dirigierpartitur
Sample pages
Work introduction
When a composer is asked to approach a great role model like Gustav Mahler creatively, several approaches spontaneously present themselves: The paraphrasing, The quotation or the reflection would be possible approaches, for example.
However, I have decided on a different path - that of reorchestration. Based on the original material of the song "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" from the five songs for voice and piano (or orchestra) by Gustav Mahler (on a text by Friedrich Rückert), I developed a new musical instrumentation.
Instead of the singing voice conceived by Mahler, I use a jazz trio consisting of jazz soprano saxophone, jazz guitar and jazz bass. The part of the piano from Mahler's composition (respectively his orchestral version) is taken over by a chamber orchestra in my score.
The jazz saxophone brings the vocal part in original form in prominent places, but in many other places it uses improvisation instead of the original melody notes. The jazz soloist is complemented and accompanied by a harmony scheme (in jazz guitar and jazz bass) that was analytically derived from Mahler's score.
The chamber orchestra follows the lines in Mahler's piano accompaniment more than his orchestral score. My orchestration is denser and overall more in keeping with the jazz idiom that lies over this piece as a basic idea.
What is necessary to perform this work?
As in the world premiere of this version, the strings can also be cast as a quintet. In addition to the chamber orchestra, three jazz musicians (soprano saxophone, guitar and double bass) are required. Optionally, the soprano saxophone can be replaced by a trumpet.