Musings on Mahler

Posted by: Naijeru on 06 July 2009

Well, more a request for recommendation. I've learned that Mahler was a big influence on Shostakovich and so am interested in his work. The New York Philharmonic has just released a complete set of Mahler's symphonies conducted by Lorin Maazel. I'm thrilled by this because I love Maazel's work, but Mahler being totally new to me, I don't want to commit to an entire set without hearing one of his works and deciding if I want to hear more. That said, which Mahler symphony should I start with? I see symphony #2 pop up a lot, but I have also heard the 9th is his greatest (is that just because it's his last?) Thoughts?

Posted on: 23 July 2009 by Jeremy Marchant

And here is a very interesting, long review of some cycles of Mahler symphonies. Some good points, here:
www.musicweb-international.com...an01/Mahler_Sets.htm

Posted on: 26 August 2009 by Naijeru

quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Marchant:
Me too. I usually avoid multiple peformances of the same work, preferring to have as many different pieces of music available as possible. However I have eight Mahler 6s.

Wow. Thanks for the points on the review of Mahler cycles; there is some interesting commentary in there.

Well I've finally listened to all the symphonies at least once and I find that I favor the threes, 3, 6 & 9 with 3 still being my favorite. It is these three that I may consider exploring interpretations by other conductors. I am currently on the lookout for another composer to explore while I give myself a break from Mahler before diving in again.