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Mahler suggestions - Page 2

post #16 of 17
11/24/08 at 2:10am
Mahler's symphonies are like these jagged mountainranges of climaxes, pre-climaxes, climax aftershocks, etc. The overall archetectonic form can get lost for me sometimes.

Mahler is one of those composers (Messiaen is another one) where my mind usually drifts elsewhere during course of the piece.

That said, it's been a while since I've seriously listened to his music. I've found his expression to be far more powerful when reined in by the cyclical song structure. Definitely check out Bernstein's Das Lied and Kindertotenlieder.
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post #17 of 17
11/24/08 at 5:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophilia View Post
But if you want the best of Mahler, IMO, Das Lied von der Erde and his 9th Symphony are true masterpieces. None of his glibness, cowbells, etc. Beautifully structured with the most gorgeous orchestrations.
Not to overload the original poster who's new to Mahler, but one of the most remarkable things about his music is the orchestration. The transparency and lightness of the textures, and imaginative use of the orchestra is pretty unique, and still unmatched in many respects. There are many amazing moments starting from the 7-octave shimmer at the beginning of 1, like some kind of universal primordial soup from which his entire sound world is about to burst forth, to the literal disintegration of the music at the end of 9. Lots of things done in 20th century music don't make much sense unless you've heard Mahler first, like Webern op. 10. --Andre
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