Malloch's "I Remember Mahler" Broadcast

[gabyb]

Just found this online, fascinating to hear what people who played under Mahler say about his conducting, especially, lots of vibrato and glissando.  Start at n7 for the good stuff.

https://archive.org/details/I_Remember_Mahler_1964

[pianobaba]

Thanks for linking this, I've listened to parts 1-7 so far.

[barry guerrero]

an 'a-ha!' moment: according to one of the musicians who played under Mahler, Mahler told another musician who had complained to him about his peculiar, hard-to-follow beat that a conductor is, quote, "a necessary evil". That's a line that I get beat up for using quite frequently, but it's true. Now I have it from the horses's mouth.


.   .     .   "lots of vibrato and glissando"

That is interesting because the non-vibrato advocates more or less argue that glissandi were used in lieu of vibrato. Here we get both.

[gabyb]

Yeah, hard to believe Norrington wouldnt know about these tapes.  The imression one gets is that Mahler wanted every effect the orchestra could give him, when needed, including of course singing vibrato and unwritten glissandos, since thats just how he heard the music, as singing and breathing.

[pianobaba]

an 'a-ha!' moment: according to one of the musicians who played under Mahler, Mahler told another musician who had complained to him about his peculiar, hard-to-follow beat that a conductor is, quote, "a necessary evil". That's a line that I get beat up for using quite frequently, but it's true. Now I have it from the horses's mouth.

Perhaps they are, but still, looking at Mahler of all people for support for that thesis is an unusual choice

[barry guerrero]

I wasn't looking for support - it was just there! I would continue to voice that thought irrespective of what Mahler might have said. Look, I DO conducting - I happen to be pretty good at it. But credit goes to the creator. A conductor is no more important than a plumber or shoe cobbler, and Mahler voiced that thought many times.

[pianobaba]

Yeah I was just teasing.

[barry guerrero]

Oh, no problem. But I was very surprised to come across that.

[pianobaba]

Yes it is a surprising statement coming from Mahler, though I can easily imagine that Mahler meant all conductors other than himself!