Can Mahlerites be Strauss fans?

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

Do some of you like Strauss? for me I find his music boring and superficial and the exact opposite to Mahler's. Next month will be a performance of M4 in Lyon, preceded by Strauss 's oboe concerto. I think I 'll go after the entracte!

[techniquest]

IMHO, yes they can. Music is subjective, thus it is possible to like Mahler and also like - say - Abba!    Personally I find some Strauss boring such as the oboe concerto or 4 Last Songs, and some of his work inspiring and fascinating such as An Alpine Symphony and the Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome. I find some Mahler boring too: e.g I've never got into the 5th symphony other than the 1st movement and the adagietto; but I couldn't imagine being without the 2nd and 3rd symphonies which i adore from beginning to end.

[Roffe]

I do not see why not. Although I'm not a devoted fan myself, I do own all of his symphonic poems and listen to some of them (An Alpine Symphony is the favourite) once in a while. But, I have to admit that I love ABBA and Elvis more than I love Strauss (not to mention M and the big B's).

Roffe

[waderice]

This topic was dealt with in an earlier thread, several pages down:

http://gustavmahlerboard.com/forum/index.php?topic=1403.0

Wade

[david johnson]

one can like any combination of music.

[bluesbreaker]

I do not see why not. Although I'm not a devoted fan myself, I do own all of his symphonic poems and listen to some of them (An Alpine Symphony is the favourite) once in a while. But, I have to admit that I love ABBA and Elvis more than I love Strauss (not to mention M and the big B's).

Roffe

I enjoy 80's cheesy pop and 90's grunge.
But above all, I love all things classic rock, blues, prog(Pink Floyd), and some heavy metal, along side with Mahler and the Big B's.
I play electric guitar and grew up listening the former 2 genres.
Liking Maler and RS at the same time is absolutely OK in my book, but personally I just don't get RS.

[waderice]

Do some of you like Strauss? for me I find his music boring and superficial and the exact opposite to Mahler's.

Read some of what I wrote in "The Richard Strauss Thread" to get my take on Richard Strauss and what's readily accessible and what's not to listen to.

Wade

[Prospero]

"Rosenkavalier," "Ariadne auf Naxos," "Arabella"? The Four Last Songs.

You might try one of the two DVDs of Carlos Kleiber conducting "Rosenkavalier."

In the right mood "Elektra" or "Salome."

Strauss can be superficial, but also at times compelling and/or enchanting, especially in opera and the last songs.

Tom in Vermont

[barry guerrero]

The oboe concerto isn't one of Strauss' best offerings. But, it's relatively short in duration, and not hard to listen to. For Mahlerites, I think Zarathustra, Salome, Alpine Symphony and "Die Frau ohne Schatten" have the most to offer.

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

I'll try again....and i'll try ABBA too!
Mathilde

[john haueisen]

My personal great triumvirate of favorite composers is Mahler, Wagner, and Strauss.
The similarity I find in the three is music so heavenly, inspirational, transcendental and "up in the clouds," that it leaves others behind, crawling around on the earth.  There!  If that doesn't show how subjective "being a fan" is, I don't know what does.

In the same vein, Mahler once asked Strauss about the motivations behind his music.  He was somewhat surprised when Strauss did not say he had some mystical, divine inspiration, but simply answered that writing music was what he did; and he was very good at it.  Strauss further pointed to his mansion in Vienna, with the words, "Salome built that for me."  Once at a dinner with Mahler and others, Strauss picked up a plate, and scratched on it with his fork, making that irritating "fingernails on a blackboard" sound.  Strauss beamed and said, "I can make that sound with an orchestra."

I always feel (subjective, yes) that Mahler was divinely inspired.  Hearing the beauty of some of Strauss' music, I share Mahler's shock and disbelief that Strauss was writing it only to make money.
--John Haueisen  

[waderice]

John:  Good post.  I might make one slight clarification that Strauss' mansion was in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, not Vienna.  He was correct that "Salome built that for me".  And yes, Mahler was put off by the fact that Strauss felt his works should make money.  While both were orchestral geniuses, one was ascetic; the other, the opposite.

Wade

[john haueisen]

Wade, thanks for catching that error!