When asked why he had decided to arrange Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ String Quartet for the larger forces of a full string orchestra the great composer Mahler replied by saying that he had wished to ‘give the music wings’.

The original quartet is a masterwork suited to the intimate environment of a private salon or a small informal gathering of friends. Mahler’s sensitive arrangement for string orchestra magnifies the music’s essential genius by just the right amount, enabling it to sound out clearly within the far larger setting of an orchestral concert hall.

Specifically, Mahler succeeds in adding to the already rich inspiration inherent in Schubert’s original by pinpointing intense but fleeting moments of implied feeling and then realising just enough of their previously untapped emotional energy to enable them to shimmer and shine. It is as if he has created a gently glowing halo of sound around the music that makes its deeper meanings easier to discern.

Sometimes our thoughts and ideas need to be enriched and made more luminous in our minds. We can then begin to see and appreciate any previously unclear aspects. This enables us to develop our ideas that much more confidently, strengthening weak but potentially positive strands of thought and minimising or eliminating the negative consequences of previously unforeseen problems.

The next time you want to fully appreciate an idea enhance its luminosity. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How can you make the key details and potentials of your idea stand out brilliantly in people’s minds?
• How can you pinpoint and develop those aspects of your idea that are merely implied but could prove central to its success?
• How can you best communicate the significance of your idea to those that are furthest away from you in terms of their understanding and attitude?

To listen to Mahler's arrangement of 'Death and the Maiden' click Here. 

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