Mahler Symphony No. 5, Part 2

I left you last week after Part 1 of Mahler’s 5th symphony, dazed
and defeated.  There seems to be no hope, and no way out.
 But as many of you know by now, Mahler reaches for the
entire emotional spectrum in his music, and what Mahler builds
out of the ashes of the first two movements is a complicated,
difficult, and fascinating Part II, and a warm, sunny, and loving
Part III.  Part II is a single movement, a massive 17 minute
scherzo that serves as a bridge to Part III and also is
practically a full piece on its own.  Part III of course
contains the famous Adagietto, a love letter that leaves the
listener full of questions that Mahler attempts to answer in the
5th movement, a sunny romp and the most unquestionably cheery
movement that Mahler ever wrote.   Why does Mahler build the
symphony this way?  How does a performer or an audience
member deal with these hugely varied emotions?  And how does
Mahler build his complicated scherzo, his apparent love letter to
Alma, and his both highly unusual and highly traditional Rondo
5th movement? Join us to find out!