Tony Duggan Has Died

[James Meckley]

British writer and Mahler specialist Tony Duggan has died. He suffered a massive stroke Wednesday night and passed away Thursday without ever regaining consciousness. He was 58.

James

[yiwufan]

This is very sad news.  I remember him as being one of my first "advisors" to Mahler when I read his reviews in the late 90s.

[brunumb]

Tony Duggan's Mahler pages at MusicWeb provided countless hours of study and pleasure for me over the years.  He was certainly the person who has influenced my collection of Mahler recordings more than anyone else.  I eagerly looked forward to his revisions and reviews and was hoping for another update at some stage.  I am very saddened by this news.

[Prospero]

I am sorry to hear of Mr. Duggan's passing. He offered some very interesting and extensive reflections on Mahler. I discovered the Barshai performances from his writing.

I always wondered, though, at his antipathy to Tennstedt and Bernstein performances. [I initially misstated Mr. Duggan's assessment of Bernstein in this post, as James reminded me. He did not like the 6ths, but had a number of good things to say about other Bernstein performances.] Fortunately the world of Mahler is vast and richly populated.

Tom in Vermont

[mahlerei]

Tom

I thought this a very fair assessment of Bernstein's earlier set:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Feb12/Tony%20Duggan.htm

[Prospero]

Thanks for the link to Duggan's 2009 review of the first  Bernstein Mahler series.

In his comprehensive Mahler survey, however, Mr. Duggan writes in the section on #6:

"No Bernstein or Tennstedt recordings here, for example. Both men recorded the work twice (studio and "live") but both, for me, turn Tragedy into Melodrama too often by much intervention of their own personalities in mannerisms of emphasis of phrasing and colouring and tempo."

http://www.musicweb-international.com/Mahler/Mahler6.htm

[I have deleted my overly broad statement about Mr Duggan's discussion of Bernstein. As James has reminded me, Mr. Duggan, even with reservations, has many positive things to say about many of Bernstein's other Mahler performances.]

Best,

Tom in Vermont

[James Meckley]

So at least in his most extensive commentary on Mahler recordings, Mr. Duggan generally set both Bernstein and Tennstedt aside. A rather major personal judgment on his part.

While it's true that Duggan didn't care for Bernstein's way with the Sixth, to say that he set him aside in his main Mahler reviews is simply not accurate. In the main reviews he had quite positive things to say about Bernstein in symphonies One (DG), Two (DG), Three (Sony), Four (Sony), Five (DG), Seven (Sony), and Nine (DG, Berlin).

James

[Prospero]

Looking back again, I stand corrected on Mr. Duggan and Bernstein. Thanks to James for the correction.

I evidently generalized from my memory on the comments on the 6th and the linking of Bernstein and Tennstedt there.
 A live Mahler 6 with Tennstedt in 1983 was perhaps the greatest orchestral performance of my fairly long concert going experience. Thus I was puzzled by the omission of Tennstedt in Mr. Duggan's commentary on the 6th, and I inaccurately misstated his reservations about Bernstein from that part of his commentary.


Best,

Tom in Vermont

[Michael]

Mr. Duggan's reviews have been (and will continue to be) a "go-to" refference for me when exploring recordings of Mahler works.  My collection of Mahler recordings (and my opinions on how things should be played, particularly the Ninth) was greatly influenced by Mr. Duggan.  I learned a lot of what I know about the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth from reading his reviews, and I too was looking forward to a future update.  I really hope Music Web keeps these reviews online, as there is a wealth of information there, not just about Mahler--but about how to critique music.  I know I certainly borrowed some of Mr. Duggan's techniques in reviews I've written over the last three years.

By the way...did Duggan ever comment on the Saraste/Oslo Philharmonic Mahler 6?  With his love for the Sanderling M6, I figured that would be a clear winner...but I never got around to emailing him and/or keeping up with the Mahler-List discussions to see if that recording was ever mentioned.

[sperlsco]

This is very sad news.  I remember him as being one of my first "advisors" to Mahler when I read his reviews in the late 90s.

Agreed.  He was very influential when I was building my Mahler collection.  His survey was an invaluable resource, even if I didn't generally agree with his assessments.  

What a great loss for the Mahler-loving community.  

(Moderators Note:  I was going to sticky this topic, but it might actually make it harder for people to see it)

[hrandall]

A small update about Tony Duggan a couple of weeks ago from the MusicWeb International email newsletter:

A fitting tribute to Tony Duggan (1954-2012) (In memoriam: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Feb12/Tony%20Duggan.htm)
We have been informed by Tony's sister, Bridget, that Tony's entire collection of recordings and books have been accepted by by the School of Music in Cork. This was arranged by a long-time MusicWeb Supporter, Ciarán Forbes at Glenstal Abbey.

Bridget says "They will even pay for transport! It’s a happy connection, because our father was Irish, and Tony and I have always been rather proud of our Irish half, so I think he would be pleased to think of his things going to the Auld Country. Also, to know they’ll continue to be played and enjoyed, and perhaps go to help music students with their careers.Apparently the library will even put a sticker with Tony's name on each item, so he will be remembered, in a quiet way, for many years to come"

It sounds like a wonderful tribute indeed, and a good example for all of us, as we think of what might happen to our own music collections when we pass or no longer can enjoy the recordings we own. I know that I'm indebted to the person who generously donated their extensive classical CD collection to my town's public library.

Cheers,
Herb