It was voted one of the ten greatest symphonies of all time in a survey of conductors carried out by the BBC Music Magazine.
But, at different times, he shared evolving versions of a program for the third symphony with various friends: Max Marschalk, a music critic; violist Natalie Bauer-Lechner, a close friend and confidante; and Anna von Mildenburg, the dramatic soprano and Mahler's lover during the summer of 1896 when he was completing the symphony.
In an 1896 letter to Max Marschalk, he called the whole "A Summer's Midday Dream", and within Part One, distinguished two sections, "Introduction: Pan awakes" and "I.
[5]: 276 The symphony, particularly due to the extensive number of movements and their marked differences in character and construction, is a unique work.
The third movement, a scherzo, with alternating sections in 24 and 68 meter, quotes extensively from Mahler's early song "Ablösung im Sommer" (Relief in Summer).
[9] In the trio section, the mood change from playful to contemplative occurs with an off-stage post horn (or flugelhorn) solo.
[10][11] The posthorn melody is suddenly interrupted (in measure 345) by a trumpet fanfare representing a literal quotation of the Austrian military signal for falling out (Abblasen).
[12][13] Another important quotation in the movement is a Spanish folk melody of jota aragonesa used by Mikhail Glinka in Caprice brillante and by Franz Liszt in Rhapsodie espagnole.
Most probably it borrowed here from Ferruccio Busoni's transcription of the Rhapsodie for piano and orchestra, as the harmonies are almost identical and passages are equally almost similar.
[18] The cheerful fifth movement, "Es sungen drei Engel", is one of Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs, (whose text itself is loosely based on a 17th-century church hymn, which Paul Hindemith later used in its original form in his Symphony "Mathis der Maler") about the redemption of sins and comfort in belief.
Of the finale, Bruno Walter wrote, In the last movement, words are stilled—for what language can utter heavenly love more powerfully and forcefully than music itself?
[This quote needs a citation]The movement begins very softly with a broad D-major chorale melody in the strings, which slowly builds to a loud and majestic conclusion culminating on repeated D major chords with bold statements on the timpani.
The Swiss critic William Ritter, in his review of the premiere given in 1902, said of the last movement: "Perhaps the greatest Adagio written since Beethoven".
Another anonymous critic writing in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung wrote about the Adagio: "It rises to heights which situate this movement among the most sublime in all symphonic literature".
Mahler was called back to the podium 12 times, and the local newspaper reported that "the thunderous ovation lasted no less than fifteen minutes".
Die himmlische Freude war Petro bereit't, durch Jesum und allen zur Seligkeit.
Peter Franklin in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians represents the symphony's progressive tonal scheme as 'd/F—D'.
The piece is performed in concert less frequently than Mahler's other symphonies[citation needed], due in part to its great length and the huge forces required.
This is in agreement with the manuscript copy of the full score (held in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York), where the end of the first movement carries the inscription Folgt eine lange Pause!
This version was premiered by Ensemble 212 with Lee as conductor in New York on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
It also served as background music during the "Allegory" segment of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony cultural show.
[citation needed] The final movement is also played during Coleman Silk's funeral in Philip Roth's novel The Human Stain.
The work is also referenced in the pop singer Prince's song "Good Love" ("Gustav Mahler #3 is jamming on the box") from his Crystal Ball album and the Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack.