The Royal Swedish Army Band – Mahler and Military Music

Military music has a tangible presence in the works of Gustav Mahler. Funeral marches, marches of triumph, trumpet calls, and drums are the ingredients that lend Mahler’s music its unquestionable colour. Even his songs have a military presence. Of his approximately 50 songs, the simple soldier is the protagonist of ten. This is especially evident in the Magic Horn songs, which depict the soldier as a lovesick pacifist, even as a deserter.

Mahler spent his childhood in the garrison town of Iglau, where thanks to concert performances of military music, he had the chance to hear a broad repertoire of contemporary classical and popular music. To offer a deeper perspective of Mahler’s own music and the music that influenced him, here the Royal Swedish Army Band will present a concert in two parts. The first is based on an authentic programme from a concert by the 49th infantry regiment army band in Iglau on 31 August 1875. This is music that fundamentally impacted 15-year-old Mahler.

The second part is six “soldier songs” from the Boy’s Magic Horn. The lyrics are often formulated as a dialogue between a man and a woman, presented here by a mezzo-soprano and a baritone.