new to Mahler?

[Ivor]

  I'm aware that there will be some members or otherwise,who will be new to Mahler. If that's you,this is for you.

  I remember being daunted by classical music at the beginning,and by mahler too. So bi i i i i ig and looooooooooooooong.

  Also,i know that each person is going to have a unique relationship to the music,to have their own way of 'placing' Mahler,will find their own favourite works,favourite bits,particular dislikes.

  i doubt if there are many here who'd put him in the same place in relation to other composers,or that order the works identically.

  Envy is what I feel a lot for those starting out or not far along their Mahler journey. Oh,to hear these works again for the first,second or even third time. Oh to fully recapture the feeling of "blimey" at the size,beauty,craziness,surprises.

  And if he turns out not to be your cup of tea,no matter. Nobody HAS to like it.

  Just hope he gives you as much pleasure as he's given me. if you get as much elsewhere,that's terrific too. (Well,SOMEBODY's got to adore Vivaldi   )

  If anyone wants to pm me cos it's soooo embarrassing, I do a great line in confidentiality. 

  To adapt a line of Vaughan Williams,I don't know if I like what I've written,but it's what I meant.

 
   best wishes,,
 

   Ivor

 

[Jot N. Tittle]

Oh,to hear these works again for the first,second or even third time. Oh to fully recapture the feeling of "blimey" at the size,beauty,craziness,surprises.

Nice posting, Ivor. Some of the postings here by the old hands might intimidate the less-experienced and make them reluctant to ask a question or venture an opinion. My advice to such is:  Go ahead. Nobody will come to your door.

I would add to Ivor's encouragement the suggestion that reading about Mahler can be helpful in appreciating his music. Or, so it has been for me.

Now, Ivor, to the passage I have quoted from your fine message: I don't think I would like to start over fresh--it has taken so long to get this far and still so far to go. 

     . & '

[Casaubon]

  Envy is what I feel a lot for those starting out or not far along their Mahler journey.

For me it's more like pity.  I don't know about everyone else, but on my first listening of any Mahler symphony I remembered little and comprehended less.  It wasn't until I had heard a given work 5, maybe 10 times that I really began to get a feel for it.  On the other hand, my enjoyment and understanding of each symphony scales linearly with the number of times I've heard it.  Enjoyment because there are so many different things to hear and concentrate on, and understanding because for me, structure and relationships only gradually begin to be clarified over long periods of listening (no musical training for me other than things I've read).  So if there's anyone I envy with regards to Mahler, it would be me, 10 years from now, when I understand and enjoy that much more 

[Leo K]

Here is a great resource for someone new to Mahler and the recordings out there...this is the search page for the old Mahler Board...I use this all the time to reference past reviews and etc...just type something in the search field, such as "Bernstein" and a bunch of old threads pop up:

http://www.klassi.org/mahler/search.php?mode=results