After a Mahler cycle - what next?

[hrandall]

Hi everyone!

I've mentioned on the forum before that on most Thursday evenings I visit a friend and we listen to a Mahler CD. (Often with Dave Hurwitz's book in hand, or sometimes a score). When we began doing this about 2 years ago, we just skipped around and listened to whatever struck our fancy. Last night, though, we finished up our first official cycle with Mahler's 10th. It's been an interesting half year or so while we listened to the works in order, with some repeated listenings to the works we were less familiar with. For example, I have a newfound appreciation of the 6th and 7th as a result of several weeks spent listening to each symphony.

Before starting in on another Mahler cycle, I thought we'd take a few weeks and hear some other composers' works, either as a bit of a palate-cleanser or as a way to explore some Mahler-related tangents.

Here is what I'm planning so far:
- Nielsen's 3rd, 4th, and or 5th.
- Bruckner's 9th (this same friend gave me the recent Rattle recording).
- Hans Rott's Symphony 1 (Jarvi or Segerstam)
- Havergal Brian's 1st (Gothic)

My question to you: is there anything you might suggest I add to my list? And for what reason? An interesting relation to Mahler's music? A stark contrast to Mahler's music? The composer was influenced by Mahler, or was an influence on Mahler?

I'm very curious to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,
Herb

[ChrisH]

You are quite lucky to have some one so close that you can listen with.

After I go through heavy doses of Mahler, Wagner or Bruckner and feel the need to cleanse the palate I always go to Mozart opera. I've been doing this for the past few years and it really works for me. Mozarts ability to write as a 'tune-smith' consistently amazes me; when I finish a Mozart work it always seems that he could have just kept on going, turning melodies and drama with the utmost ease. That is something that really gets me. When Mahler ends it is almost always a draining experience on some level. You wish it would go on, but sometimes the break is good. With Mozart it could go on for ever.

I would highly recommend anything by Renee Jacobs on Blu-Ray, CD/SACD.

[James Meckley]

Herb,

To your list I would add Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, a work Mahler conducted often and was certainly influenced by. A remarkable piece when you consider its premiere came only three years after Beethoven's death.

(When overwhelmed by Romantic orchestral bombast, I find comfort in the solo keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach.)

James

[Clov]

For Similarities:

Berg's music was much inspired by Mahler. Such as the march in act 1 scene 3 of Wozzeck

Pagliacci by Leoncavallo seems akin to the banal of Mahler in much of the orchestral music and tragi-comedy atmosphere; though the composers might've disliked each other.

The exuberant male vocals in Des Knaben seem very akin to Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflote

For Contrast:

I'd say Bach's mid-late keyboard works

Palestrina's Masses

Lassus' Legrime de San Pietro

p.s. the way I enjoy these differs substancially from how I enjoy Mahler.

[barry guerrero]

Shotakovich 4.  It's a Russian Mahler symphony on steroids.

[Clov]

Shotakovich 4.  It's a Russian Mahler cycle on steroids.

I love the opening movement of Shostakovich's 9th, very humorous moments but not at all being 'light music'.

I'll have to listen to the 4th.

[barry guerrero]

Symphony - I meant the word 'symphony' and not "cycle". My bad.

[Roffe]

Herb,

To your list I would add Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, a work Mahler conducted often and was certainly influenced by. A remarkable piece when you consider its premiere came only three years after Beethoven's death.

(When overwhelmed by Romantic orchestral bombast, I find comfort in the solo keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach.)

James

I second that; Berlioz was also a hell of an orchestrator. And don't forget ole' Ludwig, especially his 9th (in the Mahler retouching version with Jarvi?)

Roffe

[barry guerrero]

"9th (in the Mahler retouching version with Jarvi?)"

It's Kristjan Jarvi, and I think it's very good. I have it. It's on the Preiser label.

http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-9-Beethoven/dp/B002UCTA98/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1347687498&sr=1-7&keywords=beethoven+symphony+9+jarvi

[ChrisH]

Shotakovich 4.  It's a Russian Mahler symphony on steroids.

My 6 month old screamed bloody murder when I put Shosti 4 on a few months back. I've not listened since.

[hrandall]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful suggestions. I think it will be a fun few weeks of "Mahler night" sans Mahler.

Does anyone want to advocate for some Josek Suk, in the "influenced by Mahler" category? I've listened to a few things on Spotify but haven't yet purchased anything. If someone has a good recommendation for a Suk first purchase, I'd love to hear it.

Cheers,
Herb

[chalkpie]

Shostakovich - all 15 symphonies!

ps - I just got the Barshai Box on Brilliant for like $30 or so. IMO this is incredible so far....a gem. This the "Bertini" boxset of Shostakovich, if you catch my drift.....great sound, stellar playing, very solid and consistent, convincing playing and conducting, and cheap! Buy it!

And when you're finished, you can do the 15 string quartets.

Mahler and Shosta wrote my favorite symphonies....well.....ever.

I own and have tried Sibelius, as he is often mentioned as one of the masters of the symphony, but aside from his 4th, he hasn't moved me yet. Maybe he never will?

Also, as a HUGE Ives fanatic, I highly suggest delving in and seeing what he was all about. A true original and genius, often overlooked and misunderstood.

ps-  I just got my first Ring cycle on disc (Janowski/ Staatskapelle Dresden). I'm diving in.....yikes!

[barry guerrero]

I would not consider Josef Suk to be a composer influenced by Mahler. He's far closer to Zemlinksky, early Shoenberg, Scriabin and other composers of that highly chromatic (half-step harmonies), late romantic style.

[barry guerrero]

While it may not sound much like Mahler, I think a Mahlerian scaled experience can be had with Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem".

[BeethovensQuill]

This post was quite apt for me as my cousin and i have just started a Mahler cycle.  He only has recordings of M1, M2 and M9 and he wants to explore them all.  What we are doing though is listing to other works written at the same time as each symphony so i took in the dates 1884 to 1888 for the 1st, so we just had our Mahler 1 day last week where we listened to extracts from Tchaikovsky's 5th, Dvorak's 7th and Saint-Saens Organ Symphony, 1st movement of Bruckner 8 and Strauss Don Juan.  Most of that stuff was new to him other the Tchaikovsky 5, so its also aimed at getting him interested in other composers.  Im keeping Brahms 4 for a later date.

We are also going to include Mahler's influences during each day, we didnt leave ourselves much time last week so we only listened to the funeral march from Beethoven's 3rd, he wasn't too impressed with that much to my amazement, but i said that Beethoven takes longer to get into than Mahler.

Would also like to hear what other people would consider Mahler's favourite works?

Also im currently reading Mahler, his life, work and world, are ther any other books that contain his letters?  Its great reading Mahler's humour come thorugh in those letters , something that ive never seen mentioned much.