Mahler Symphony no10 transcr.piano

[Marcus]

For those Mahler fans who may wish to extend their catalogue, the Mahler Symphony no10 transcribed for piano is a new release. (Divine Art #DDA 25079)
Recently, I heard a transcription of Mahler's 5th for Organ, played by David Briggs. Interesting, but not for the purists. I find it hard to sustain my interest,when listening to these gigantic works on piano or organ. Mahler's orchestral colour cannot be copied on a piano.
About 20 years ago, I was very ill in bed, and I listened to Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum played by  Geoffrey Douglas Madge. After 4 + hours of meandering, colourless music, I was feeling worse. I believe it is available on CD, and I would be interested to know how many sadists out there have heard it in its entirety.
Marcus

[John Hudock]

I have listened to the Sorajbi - once, I have the Ogden recording. I don't remember it being that long. Is the Ogden recording truncated? Or maybe he's just much faster or quite possibly (probably) my memory is just faulty.

I remeber liking it, but I do think you have to be in the right frame of mind. It had a sort of hypnotic effect like some of the early Philip Glass works (but I know lots of people who hate all of his stuff). I do love his later works, through the monotony you get some excruciatingly beautiful stuff and I listen to his recent (past past 25 yrs) stuff frequently, but the earlier stuff like "Music in Fifths" I leave, like the Sorajbi, for rare occasions when I just want to vegetate for awhile. It may also work better when you're doing something else, as background music rather than having your entire focus on it for 4 hrs.

It's certainly not on my list for another relisten any time soon. Except for the Bach Matthew & John passions (which I listen to at least once a year) and some Wagner operas, there are not many 4+ hours pieces I have the time or inclination to listen to frequently.

As for the Mahler, I agree that much of the orchestral color will be lost. But I love these odd transcriptions just for the novelty and also the sheer virtuosity required to bring most of them off. While some transcriptions/arrangements are quite wonderful (the Bach-Silotti comes immediately to mind), mostly they're for a one-off listen or to play parts of for friends (Hey! Listen to this guy play the entire Ring cycle on a trombone!) Although somtimes I am reminded of the Robert Heinlein quote "Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig"

[thalbergmad]

About 20 years ago, I was very ill in bed, and I listened to Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum played by  Geoffrey Douglas Madge. After 4 + hours of meandering, colourless music, I was feeling worse. I believe it is available on CD, and I would be interested to know how many sadists out there have heard it in its entirety.

Perhaps you would care to go to the premier of the 2nd Organ Symphony in Glasgow, which is only 6 + hours.

Many "Sorabjians" consider the Madge recording of the OC to be a joke and the Ogdon considerably better but insufficient. I have heard both, but i am damned if i can tell the difference. Sorabji fans await a recording by Johnathon Powell with as much zeal as 7th Day Adventists await the "Second Coming". If i ever attend a recital, i would much prefer if it were performed by Mylene Klass, as at least I would have something nice to look at during the 4 hours it takes to play the blasted thing.

I do not care for Sorabjis works, but I have changed mind in as much as I now consider the OC to be purposeful piano banging instead of mindless piano banging.

Anyone who is fascinated with this composer and owns a horse would be well advised to visit the Sorabji Archive which is situated in a remote farm house in deepest Herefordshire. The Curator, Alistair Hinton ( a composer himself) is one of the most charming and interesting chaps i have ever met.

As for Mahler transcriptions. I don't think they work.

Thal

[JimL]

About 20 years ago, I was very ill in bed, and I listened to Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum played by  Geoffrey Douglas Madge. After 4 + hours of meandering, colourless music, I was feeling worse. I believe it is available on CD, and I would be interested to know how many sadists out there have heard it in its entirety.
Marcus

I think you mean masochists.  A sadist would be the person forcing you to listen to it.  If that person is you - you're a masochist.

[mbhaub]

Thanks for the tip on the Mahler. I do love those transcriptions. I have the Mahler 6 & 7th in piano-4 hand versions. And the Dvorak New World, Holst's The Planets, Dvorak New World, Balakirev Tamar, Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, the Beethoven symphonues and some others. It's had to explain their appeal, but it's not unlike watching a movie in B/W rather than Technicolor. Strip away the orchestral color and other things stand out -- especially the harmonic progress. And while driving, the piano transcriptions are easier to listen to than the orchestral versions with much wider dynamics. Yeah, I'll add the Mahler. My sister-in-law is an accomplished pianists, me less so. But we're trudging our way thru the piano 4-hand edition of the Raff 5th. Very difficult for me, but a lot of fun. The march was a hoot!

[Marcus]

No JimL, I meant  sadist. I forced myself to listen, and between hot sweats & medication, I persisted until the end.     So I wonder how many others, perhaps in better circumstances, are tempted, like i was many times,  to switch off after 2 hours, but push themselves to hear the last note. 
Thalbergmad, thanks for the info re the 6 hour Organ Symphony, but I think I will wait until my next heart attack !
I believe the Romanian composer, Dimitri Cuclin (1885-1978), wrote 20 Symphonies, one of them lasting 6 hours.
An  on the subject of symphonies, I was amazed to learn that Leif Segerstam (b1944 Finland),   had written 205 symphonies up to 2008. Perhaps it was a misprint ?  Can anyone verify that? I have not heard any of them, although I know some are in the catalogue.
thalbergmad, you mention Alistair Hinton. I am guessing that he is the son of Arthur Hinton (1869-1941) ? He wrote symphonies, concertos operas etc , some of which, I hope will one day make the catalogue.
Marcus                               

[chill319]

Did Mahler sketch any of his symphonic movements at the keyboard?

[thalbergmad]

thalbergmad, you mention Alistair Hinton. I am guessing that he is the son of Arthur Hinton (1869-1941) ? He wrote symphonies, concertos operas etc , some of which, I hope will one day make the catalogue.
Marcus                             

No relation at all according to Alistair. Alistair Hinton studied at the RCM with Humphry Searle and it was via their superb library that he first became aware of Sorabji. Some of his compositions have been recorded, including a ginormous quintet which requires 3 CD's.

I know nothing of Arthur Hinton, but i did come across the full score to his piano concerto a few years back which i could not resist purchasing.

Thal

[Marcus]

Hi chill319,
Mahler always had a piano on hand. At the Attersee, for insatnce he had a Bosendorfer Baby Grand, but he seemed to lose interest in the piano as a profession in later years, although he was quite proficient.
His first published work was a piano transcription of Bruckner's 3rd Symphony in 1878.
I think he wrote many of his symphonies in short score, in notebooks & scraps of paper, and would have played some sections on piano, just to hear how it sounded. But no doubt, the piano played some role in the composing routine, as it did for most composers. Mahler played a piano reduction of the complete Symphony no3 for Bruno Walter in 1896, before publication. Bruno Walter transcibed many of the Mahler symphonies for piano.
You may be interested in a CD I have of Mahler playing  part of 1st mvt of Symphony no5 & 4th mvt of Symphony no4 on piano, recorded in 1905. Other composers playing are Busoni Bartok, Arrau,Leschetitsky, Lhevinne,Grainger & Dohnanyi. All recorded originally on piano rolls. (Larrikin #CD DDC 937)
Marcus

[Jonathan]

I am sure that I read somewhere that Mahler performed Liszt's Scherzo and March in concert at some point.  His piano trechnique must have been something to perform that work - it's very difficult!

[Amphissa]

 
There are solo piano transcriptions of Mahler Symphony No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6. I've also seen sheet music for piano transcriptions of "Urlicht" from Symphony No. 2, the Adagio from Symphony No. 3 and the Adagio from Symphony No. 9, but I'm not sure if those entire symphonies are available in piano solo.

I'm not a pianist, so for me they are simply curiosities. However, they are readily available on Ebay.

[thalbergmad]

All the Mahler symphonies have been transcribed for piano.

Symphony No.1 - Serge Ollive - solo
Symphony No.2 - Hermann Behn - 2 piano
Symphony No.3 - Woss - 2 piano
Symphony No.4 - Woss - 2 piano
Symphony No.5 - Stradal - 2 piano and Singer - 4 hand
Symphony No.6 - Zemlinsky - 4 hand
Symphony No.7 - Casella - 4 hand
Symphony No.8 - Woss - 4 hand
Symphony No.9 - Woss - 4 hand
Symphony No.10 (part) - Ratz - 4 hand

Loads of others concentrating on seperate movements.

Thal

[JimL]

Mahler was apparently quite a proficient pianist, although he never made a career out of it.  The only thing he apparently performed before an audience was the first movement of the Scharwenka PC 1 while a still a student. 

[ahinton]

Sorabji fans await a recording [of Opus Clavicembalisticum] by Johnathon Powell

Jonathan Powell.

with as much zeal as 7th Day Adventists await the "Second Coming".

I think that Seventh Day Adventism and appreciation of Sorabji are as mutually incompatible and any two things could possibly be.

If i ever attend a recital, i would much prefer if it were performed by Mylene Klass, as at least I would have something nice to look at during the 4 hours it takes to play the blasted thing.

And she's the best looking instrumentalist that you can think of? Dearie me!

Anyone who is fascinated with this composer and owns a horse would be well advised to visit the Sorabji Archive which is situated in a remote farm house in deepest Herefordshire. The Curator, Alistair Hinton ( a composer himself) is one of the most charming and interesting chaps i have ever met.

How kind! Let me assure anyone who may be concerned about this, however, that the location of The Sorabji Archive is a temporary one and that no horse is required to access it - and, for the record, I do not own a horse myself and wouldn't know (or even want to know) how to drive one in any case.

Best,

Alistair