New Mahler Symphony No. 9 World Premier Recording! (USA Premier Performance)

[CalebWY]

Hello everyone!
My name is Caleb Young and I'm a graduate student in conducting at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. We are working on recording a World Premier CD of a wonderful arrangement of Mahler's 9th Symphony by Klaus Simon. We will also be performing the USA Premier of this arrangement.

Please check out our Kickstarter for me info! Also feel free to leave any questions you have!

Help make this wonderful music come alive!

Best,

Caleb

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/64714394/kammermahler-premier-recording-project

[waderice]

This is getting interesting.  We have the Kaplan chamber arrangement of M2, and will soon have M9.  This probably leaves the rest of the symphonies and DLvdE open to be given chamber treatment.  Wonder how things will turn out when someone attempts a chamber arrangement of M8?  One singer for each sung line in the three choruses in addition to the 8 soloists?

This is in essence, a process in reverse, when in the late 19th and 20th centuries, choruses became bigger and orchestras were enlarged with non-Handelian instruments to perform bloated versions of Messiah.

Wade

[James Meckley]

This is getting interesting.  We have the Kaplan chamber arrangement of M2, and will soon have M9. This probably leaves the rest of the symphonies and DLvdE open to be given chamber treatment.

Of course we already have multiple recordings of the chamber versions of M4 and DLvdE.

James

[waderice]

James,

Who did the chamber arrangements of M4 and DLvdE?  Who did recordings of these (which I haven't seen or heard of)?

Thanks, Wade

[James Meckley]

Who did the chamber arrangements of M4 and DLvdE?  Who did recordings of these (which I haven't seen or heard of)?

These were arrangements done for Arnold Schönberg's Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen (Society for Private Musical Performances). The DLvdE arrangement was started by Schönberg and completed by Rainer Rhien. The M4 arrangement was done by Erwin Stein in 1921. There is also a chamber arrangement of Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, done by Schönberg himself.

A search on Amazon.com will turn up multiple recordings of these arrangements, currently available on CD.

James

[barry guerrero]

That's a sweet little concert hall you have there at IU. Keep up the good work.

[Martin Bernhard]

The M4 chamber version is a cute thing, but what it seriously lacks is the sound of a horn.

[James Meckley]

The M4 chamber version is a cute thing, but what it seriously lacks is the sound of a horn.

Well then, if you insist on a horn in your chamber arrangement of Mahler 4, try the recent one by Klaus Simon (Universal Edition, 2007) for 14 musicians plus solo soprano: wind quintet, 2 percussion, harmonium, piano, and string quintet.

James

[James Meckley]

Let me augment my earlier response to Wade Rice by adding the following information. From Universal Edition alone, we currently have available reduced versions of the following Mahler works:

Symphony No. 1, arranged by Erwin Stein
Symphony No. 2, arranged by Erwin Stein
Symphony No. 3, arranged by Erwin Stein
Symphony No. 4, arranged by Erwin Stein
Symphony No. 4, arranged by Klaus Simon
Symphony No. 8, arranged by Erwin Stein
Das Lied von der Erde, arranged by Arnold Schönberg & Rainer Rhien
Das Lied von der Erde, arranged by Glen Cortese

James

[waderice]

Thanks, James.  That leaves M5, M6, and M7 left to be given chamber treatment.  Maybe DkL might follow.  Probably not worth it reducing orchestration of LefG and DkW and the few Rueckert songs that have been orchestrated.

Wade

[barry guerrero]

Aaaaargh. I just don't get why all this 'chamberizing' of Mahler is desirable.

[waderice]

Aaaaargh. I just don't get why all this 'chamberizing' of Mahler is desirable.

Mahler for the economically-challenged masses who can't afford high-priced symphony tickets.  The more players, the more expensive. 

Wade

[barry guerrero]

I don't know, I've seen plenty of very expensive chamber music shows. Anyway, point taken.

[Leo K]

I'd rather the masses not hear Mahler if they can't afford the real thing (I can't afford concerts either). There are plenty of recordings to listen to, so why bother with a 'chamberized' Mahler performance through the lens of an arranger?!


--Todd (cranky today)

[barry guerrero]

I'm afraid I agree with that sentiment, especially in this age when anybody can watch an entire Mahler symphony on Youtube, or hear a new recording on Spotify.  Mahler labored tirelessly to tweak the orchestrations of his works. Why take out half the color and half the dynamic range?

Barry