Search - Claudio Abbado, Alma Mahler, Stephen Endelman :: Bride of the Wind / Fleming, Thibaudet, Endelman (2001 Film)

In telling the story of Gustav Mahler's socially tempestuous wife and fellow composer-songwriter Alma, director Bruce Beresford faced great challenges. But they would seem to pale in comparison to the task of composer Stephen Endelman, who was variously asked to highlight Alma's largely unfamiliar songs, economically echo Mahler's most sweeping works, and compose an original score that meshed seamlessly with the Mahlers' music. Though purists may grumble somewhat, Endelman has largely succeeded here, capturing the rich drama and emotion at the heart of both Mahlers' disparate music while compacting it to fit the medium's constraints. Soprano Renée Fleming voices Alma's "Bei Ist Es Traut" and "Laau Sommernacht" in new recordings with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, as well as Gustav's "Ruckert Lied No. 5" backed by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Edited catalog Vienna Symphony performances of Gustav's Symphony no. 3 conducted by Claudio Abbado and Symphonies nos. 5 and 6 by Pierre Boulez are also featured, along with the feverish violin music of Gypsy musical savant Janos Bihari, performed here by Roby Lakatos and Ensemble. Endelman's underscore is used sparingly, forging measured emotional links betwixt the Mahlers' own stormy compositions. --Jerry McCulley