Mitchell vol. 4 to be published

[nickmolland]

I don't think I've seen this elsewhere, so apologies if it's old news, but this is from the Amazon.co.uk site, referring to 'Discovering Mahler: Writings on Mahler, 1955-2005' by Donald Mitchell, due in June from Boydell Press:

"Discovering Mahler" is the fourth and final volume of Donald Mitchell's unique studies of Mahler and his music. This new publication fills the remaining gaps in the scrutiny of Mahler's works in the series, principally the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, with the Ninth and Tenth. It begins with a substantial survey of Mahler's music, commissioned for the sixth edition of Grove's "Dictionary of Music and Musicians" (1980), but here printed in full for the first time. A striking feature throughout this collection is the examination of the revelatory role of the performer; this is epitomized in transcripts of significant conversations about the Fifth and Seventh Symphonies with, respectively, Riccardo Chailly and Bernard Haitink. The concluding section consists of major lectures and celebratory essays, some here published for the first time in English. These form a fascinating and frequently moving personal testament to a lifetime, and specifically fifty working years, of discovering Mahler. Donald Mitchell's three previous studies of Mahler are among the enduring monuments of postwar Mahler literature. He was awarded the Gustav Mahler Medal of Honour of the International Gustav Mahler Society in Vienna in 1987, and was appointed CBE in 2002.

What do people think of Mitchell's other books? - I've yet to read them.

Nick

[Leo K]

Mitchell's Gustav Mahler: Volume II The Wunderhorn Years has been an essential Mahler book for me.Highly recommended!!

And thanks for the news on the new collection.

[barry guerrero]

Obviously, Mitchell knows quite a bit about Mahler. I just find him rather hard to read. He does a lot of starting and stopping, and his sentences are often times awkward to read. That said, I've noticed that his more recent writings seem more direct and easier to digest.

Barry

[Jot N. Tittle]

Obviously, Mitchell knows quite a bit about Mahler. I just find him rather hard to read. He does a lot of starting and stopping, and his sentences are often times awkward to read. That said, I've noticed that his more recent writings seem more direct and easier to digest.

Barry, that may be because his style appears to be oral rather than written. I would guess that some of his published work is transcribed from tape recordings. If so, that would account for his apparent windiness, occasional asides, and sometimes convoluted syntax. (I confess, I have not yet read his books but have read his frequent contributions to compilations of essays, such as The Mahler Companion.)

   . & '

[klingsor]

Finally unpacking some old moving cartons, I came across my copy of Mitchell's Vol.3-- Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death

This is essential reading, imho, for all Mahlerians. Mitchell's treatment of KINDERTOTENLIEDER as a symphonic work and his discussion of Mahler's use of heterophony in the late works, esp DAS LIED are revelations.  He was able to penetrate the music in an original and usually convincing manner, always giving specific examples as a good musicologist should.

 

[Dave H]

Mitchell is a very distinguished Mahler scholar (and an extremely kind and charming man). His books contain a lot of very interesting information, but they are poorly organized and badly in need of good editing. In previous volumes much of the best material was relegated to supplemental notes at the back of the book. This was one of the main criticisms aimed at them when they were published initially. For their insights into the music they certainly are worth reading, but I can easily imagine some readers finding them frustrating. Also, so much has been done in Mahler scholarship since they were originally published (much of it at Mitchell's instigation) that they are less necessary than they were. In particular, if you have de la Grange you might find Mitchell somewhat redundant. I do know that I will be interested in reading the new volume, but I think Barry's caution should be taken seriously.

Dave H

[klingsor]

Sorry, but I still like Mitchell. It's true, you need to read the entire volume, including notes, to get all the interesting info, but it's worth it. This is not to say I'd be without La Grange and his monumental work.