The Mahler Experience

The music of Gustav Mahler is not everyone’s cup of tea, and this applies especially to his later works, starting with his sixth symphony. However. at last week’s concert given by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leon Botstein, the auditorium was packed, evidently with people for whom Mahler’s music was to their liking.

Almost everything Mahler wrote has a distinctive character of its own as well as bearing a common thread of composition and orchestration that is evident in them all. The first five symphonies are generally melodious, with references to folk music, popular tunes or songs composed by Mahler himself. Anyone familiar with his music will almost instantly recognize an unfamiliar piece of music written by him, because of his idiosyncratic use of the brass or wind instruments, rhythmic element or deployment of tympani.

At last week’s concert Maestro Botstein spoke a few words of welcome in Hebrew before proceeding in English to explain the nature of the evening’s program – an arrangement by Mahler of a Bach suite followed by his symphony no.6, placing them both in the context of Mahler’s life and career, his position in turn-of-the-century Vienna and his subsequent move to the U.S.A.

The symphony starts with a heavy, rhythmic thumping sound in a low register, seeming to describe the ominous marching of an army, before taking off into higher spheres with the introduction of the other instruments of the orchestra. Being a conductor as well as a composer, Mahler seems almost to go out of his way to use every conceivable instrument ever invented as suitable for inclusion in a symphony orchestra – as well as some that aren’t. Mahler’s impoverished childhood home in Bohemia was situated near to a military barracks, so that the sounds emanating from there evidently constituted a formative influence on him, one that can be heard in many of his symphonies – trumpet calls, rattling drums and shrieking whistles.

In later life Mahler spent summers in the Austrian countryside, and themes representing the pastoral atmosphere and his enjoyment of it recur in many of his symphonies. In last night’s performance the sound of cowbells could be heard from time to time, bringing a simple, earthbound element into a world of noise that thrashed and whirled around the auditorium with frenetic energy.

As the four movements of the symphony progressed, with very little melodic charm and a greater amount of dissonance than is customary even in Mahler’s work, the mood shifted from ominous apprehension to brazen defiance. Near the end of the piece one of the several tympanists raised a huge wooden hammer aloft then brought it down on the floor with an enormous crash, repeating this feat of physical and aural assault one more time. Nobody was hurt, but the message was not a happy one. I was left wondering what Mahler was trying to say. Was he apprehensive as to what the future held? Was he a visionary? Or was he simply depressed?

I was fortunate enough to have been introduced to Mahler’s music as a small child, when my father would put the record of his first symphony on our family gramophone and explain the music to me. I feel at home with most of Mahler’s music, but I must admit that though his sixth symphony is not easy on the ear, having been able to hear it performed live is an audio-visual experience I will always remember.

Theological Thuggery

The following mission statement (in Hebrew), together with a photograph of the (orthodox) politician behind it, appeared in large letters on the front cover of the weekend edition of the Hebrew newspaper, Haaretz, last week. It is unusual for text to be featured on the front cover, but in this instance the editor obviously felt it was sufficiently important (and horrifying) to be brought to the forefront of the reader’s attention. Below is my translation of the text:

“Our banner is one of unambiguous war on progress. The status-quo has to be changed, ensuring that Judaism is acknowledged in every corner of the life of the State. Israel will be a country that observes the Sabbath in public, homosexual families will not be given recognition, and women will not serve in the army; their contribution will be to marry and produce a family. We will not be like countries that are for all their citizens. Heaven forfend. The values of Judaism supersede all individual rights. Look, I’m getting tools and budgets, I’m here to work, and we will clean up the public systems. Watch me, I’m patient, this is just the beginning of the beginning.”

The minister behind this statement is a newly-elected member of the Knesset, representing a tiny party, Noam, which adheres to the orthodox version of the Jewish religion and seeks to impose those views on the entire country. The remit he has taken on himself is to impose the teaching of Jewish subjects in all schools, whether they belong to the religious stream or not.

In order to form a firm coalition which will be able to drive through the various legal and policy changes he plans to introduce (and keep his ongoing trial for corruption at bay), Binyamin Netanyahu has gathered together an assortment of politicians representing parties on the extreme right of the spectrum as well as others who adhere to the fundamentalist version of Judaism. Some of them combine both aspects into a single ideology, making for a toxic mix of individuals who adhere to concepts, values and mores that are based on texts and ideas dating back to ancient times.

But the fact of the matter is that the majority of Israelis are not orthodox Jews. Most Israelis are happy to use electricity on the Sabbath, or drive their car to go to the sea or enjoy a picnic in the countryside. Most Israelis are equally happy to celebrate the various religious festivals that mark the year, each family or individual doing it in their own way, adhering to some form of tradition (focusing mainly on food) but not feeling bound to observe all the niceties of orthodox observance. The general atmosphere in the country at the time of such festivals as Sukkot, Pesach (Passover) or the High Holidays, is one of unity in awareness and celebration but not of strict adherence to the rules and regulations with which orthodox Jews (within which category there are also many variations) choose to mark those events.

As Netanyahu’s government seeks to proceed with its attempt to radically change the face of Israeli society, introducing drastic changes in the legal system and imposing laws which undermine the basic principles of equality and decency laid down in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, a growing backlash is beginning to emerge, with mass demonstrations throughout the country. It remains to be seen if anyone in the government will pay attention to the growing groundswell of opposition to the theological thuggery that is rearing its ugly head.

The Roman Mosaic in Lod

Generous American donors have provided the money to build a museum honouring Shelby White and Leon Levy, to house in situ the huge mosaic dating from the Roman occupation of ancient Judaea. The town of Lod (Lydda) has been inhabited for millennia, and is mentioned in the Bible (the book of Nehemia) as Bikat Ono, where Sanblat of Horon offered to meet Nehemia. During the Hasmonean revolt, which began in nearby Modiin, Jonathan the Hasmonean liberated Lod from Hellenic rule. During Herod’s rule Lod continued to serve as a metropolin centre, known by the Romans as Diospolis (city of the gods), playing an important role until the destruction of the Second Temple.

Under Byzantine rule Lod became an important centre of Christianity, serving as the residence of prominent bishops and where one of the earliest churches, dedicated to the town’s patron saint, St. George (of dragon-slaying fame), was constructed. The town is shown on the Medeba map, where it is given its three names, Lod, Lydda, Dispolis. In the seventh century C.E. it was conquered by the Moslems, who built the new town of Ramle close by. Today the two towns form a conurbation. In 1948, following the War of Independence, it became part of Israel.

In 1996 the mosaic was discovered by chance in the course of construction work in the town intended to widen one of the roads. When fully exposed, the mosaic – one of the largest ever found anywhere in the world – was identified as dating from the late third or early fourth century C.E. It measures seventeen meters long and nine meters wide, and is perfectly preserved almost in its entirety, depicting animals, fish and fowl both local and from Africa. It is not known who was the wealthy Roman who owned the grand house in which it formed part of the floor of the main reception room.

After its discovery the mosaic travelled extensively, being exhibited in some of the foremost museums in the word, including the New York Metropolitan Museum, the Paris Louvre, the Alter Museum in Berlin and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The Mosaic Museum in Lod has been built expressly to display the mosaic to its best advantage, with a raised viewing parapet enabling visitors to inspect it at close quarters and from every angle.

During our visit to the museum, our guide, a local Arab resident wearing traditional garb and speaking fluent Hebrew, pointed out the salient details of the mosaic’s colouring and composition, as well as demonstrating to us, with the aid of plaques on the wall, the process of layering that preceded the final stage of its construction. She mentioned with regret that at the time of the riots two years earlier, in 2020, involving the inhabitants of Lod-Ramle and other towns with mixed Jewish and Arab populations, the exterior windows of the museum were damaged, but the interior of the museum remained unharmed.

A series of displays in an interior wall displays scenes of the history of the town of Lod from ancient times to today. Surprisingly, the final display is set in 1935 and shows a plane of the ‘Palestine Airways’ landing in Jordan. There is an empty space beside it, and I personally hope that a depiction of the modern town, which is in Israel, will take its rightful place there and that this deficiency will be amended.