Luo Y. Chamber-Vocal Cycles of G. Mahler: From Musical-Dramaturgical Parameters to Performative and Interpretative Factors

The relevance of this study is explained by the growing significance of Gustav Mahler’s oeuvre, as its humanistic message and philosophical depth resonate with the cultural and historical challenges of modernity. This intrinsic connection of his art to the timeless questions of existence elucidates the enduring interest in the composer’s legacy, encouraging further research and analytical examination of his creative heritage. For over a century, Mahler’s work has remained an object of close attention among musicologists, performers, and listeners. Renowned worldwide as a conductor and interpreter of Wagner’s and Mozart’s works, Mahler elevated the standards of operatic art to unprecedented heights. However, during his lifetime, his compositional activity did not receive due recognition. It was only posthumously that Mahler’s music gained the status of one of the most outstanding achievements in musical art. His musical thinking represents a complex synthesis of the philosophical ideas of his time and national cultural traditions. In his works, the achievements of such great composers as Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner, Bruckner, and Wolf are interwoven, transformed into a unique stylistic synthesis. This universality is rooted in the particular cultural-historical situation at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the era during which Mahler lived and created. The study of Mahler’s chamber-vocal genres in the context of their musical-dramaturgical and interpretative potential acquires special relevance. The nature of these genres, characterized by semantic flexibility and openness, allows them to interact with the artistic consciousness of interpreters and cultural texts. The combination of comparative and hermeneutic approaches in this context facilitates an exploration of the possibility of various equally compelling interpretations of a single work. This methodological perspective shifts the focus from analyzing the final result of the interplay of the arts to examining the process of forming the integrity of the artistic text. It opens avenues for studying the transformation of musical-dramaturgical intent from its conceptual origin to the completed work, enabling a deeper understanding of the composer’s creative process.