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User
Reviews 21
Approval 95%
Soundoffs 74
Album Ratings 501
Objectivity 62%
Last Active 10-30-22 11:20 pm
Joined 06-28-18
Review Comments 524
| Mahler Symphonies Ranked
I had a sighting of an extremely rare bird last weekend: The Lesser Mountain Mahlerite.
Specimens of this breed love ALL of Mahlers symphonies more or less unconditionally, and he was frustrated that my love for Mahler's music is uneven. It was like trying to convince a true metal fan that, yes, I too love metal, but I only really LOVE a couple albums by Judas Priest.
Anyway I thought I'd publish the conversation for the record | | 1 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
This is the only symphony of his that I've made it all the way through on multiple occasions (possibly as low as two). That's impressive in my opinion, because most of his symphonies are over an hour, and I have a pretty short attention span.
This symphony contains his most famous single work, the fourth movement "Adagietto." This is my favorite of his slow movements -- because it's the shortest -- but the highlight for me is the Scherzo | | 2 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection"
This symphony and the 5th are the only symphonies in which I love every single movement. All the others I skip tracks | | 3 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
Skip: Movt. IV. It's beautiful and all, but clocking in at 30 minutes, and at a very slow tempo throughout, it's way too long for me to listen to with the rest of the symphony (the whole thing is well over an hour).
The FIRST movement, though, is in my opinion one of the greatest pieces of music written by ANYONE, at ANYTIME, in ANY GENRE WHATSOEVER. I love it even over a lot of pieces by Bach, who I adore. I just don't love the other movements enough for the whole symphony to occupy the top spot | | 4 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.7
Skip: Movt's I and IV
The second and third movements are in turns wonderful and deliciously spooky. The last movement is occasionally great when I'm in the mood, but it goes on forever | | 5 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 6 in A minor, "Tragic"
Skip: Movt. IV
In the last movement Mahler apparently invented the kinds of sounds used in horror films in later decades. And in fact one of those sounds reminds me of a horror flick I saw when I was ten, and when I hear it in the symphony I don't think "music," I think "horror." Mahler no doubt would have approved of this -- "music should be about the whole world" he is supposed to have said -- but I'm with Sibelius on this point: Leave the humor and horror out symphonies | | 6 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 4 in G major
Skip: Movement IV
The last movement is a song, and I don't get German Lieder. And the style isn't the easier type you find in Schubert, but the wailing type you find in Wagner. The second symphony also has a song, and I don't looooove that one either, but I like it better than the ones found in the 3rd and 4th | | 7 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Skip: Movement IV. Another song
At an hour-and-a-half this is the longest symphony. I made it through this one once, but only because I saw it performed live, and there's a lot of stuff to look at to help focus on the music.
Anyone looking for gorgeous, serene, awesomely peaceful music should definitely check out the adagio finale, movement VI. | | 8 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1 in D major, "Titan"
Skip: Mov. III, This movement is a symphonic version of what most English speakers know as the French nursery rhyme "frere jacques." Mahler thought this kind of thing was hilarious to put in a symphony, but I think it sucks. Rest of the symphony is great though | | 9 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 10 in F sharp [Unfinished]
Mahler didn't finish orchestrating this whole symphony, and only the finished first movement really sounds like him. I like it better than his vocal music, whether it sounds like him or not | | 10 |  | Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major
I can't get through the first ten minutes of this symphony, much less the hour-plus run time. Wagner was all the rage back then, and this one has way too much caterwauling Brunhilde for my taste | | 11 |  | Gustav Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde
A collection of lieder that is sometimes called a "symphony." He apparently set music to a bunch of Chinese poems, and that makes it sounds like it would be interesting to read the lyrics while listening to it. But I can read neither German nor the Chinese originals, so I'll probably never know | |
Butkuiss
06.21.24 | Funny, I was just talking to a mate about how Mahler is the most ~pseud~ composer out there. No fault of his, of course, but invariably, whenever you meet someone who wants you to know How Intelligent and Refined Their Taste In Classical Music is, their first touchstone is always Mahler. He’s like the Western Art Music version of saying your favourite band is The Beach Boys when someone asks if you prefer The Beatles or The Stones. | DadKungFu
06.21.24 | Mahler's grown on me, I always kind of felt how Butkuiss feels about him but I can kind of embrace the grandiosity and kitschy folk references. Top 3 are top 3, I'd probably have Titan up a few places higher though. Great list idea. | shibole
06.21.24 | I am totally with you on the first movement of Mahler 9, one of the greatest pieces ever written. Such a wonderful balance of beauty and utter despair. The fourth movement is also wonderful however. Overall 9 > 6 > 5 > Das Lied > 4 > 8 >7 and controversially I don’t really care for the first three. | MTObsidian
06.21.24 | #1 was my first exposure to Mahler via random coincidence, so it will always be a favorite of mine. #5 and #2 are excellent and very close to #1 on my own personal list. I need to give his other works more spins, but I agree that it can be hard to pay close attention to such complex music for so long.
Our local symphony performed #5 last year, and it was a wonderful experience. I was really lucky to be able to see something like that; we don't get a lot of similar performances out here in the more rural US. | budgie
06.21.24 | kildare my bird man! | kildare
06.21.24 | @Butkuiss: "who wants you to know How Intelligent and Refined Their Taste In Classical Music is": Yeah, he was definitely part of that flock. I could see on his face that my credibility evaporated when I offered some criticism. And he didn't give me a chance to flash my Bach badge, either. But it probably wouldn't have helped anyway | kildare
06.21.24 | @DadKungFu: "kitschy folk references": It's ironic actually that Mahler has become such a "touchstone," as Butkuiss put it. I'm no expert, but it seems to me all those humorous and folk song references was Mahler jovially snubbing his nose at the snobs of HIS day. Now they're a measure of sophistication! I don't have anything against them, I think I just have a sour note at the moment because of the encounter
"have Titan up a few places higher though": It's weird how a strict ranking is easy for some items but not others. The first three were easy for me to rank, but harder for the rest. It shows the beauty of the Sputnik numerical ratings system. I'd probably put syms 7, 6, 3, 4, and 1 all in the same category ("superb" or "excellent", say). But I have a weird ethic about rating classical music because of the names. I like Beethoven's 9th better than his 6th, but how can the 6th not be a "classic"? | kildare
06.21.24 | @shibole: "controversially I don’t really care for the first three": Fascinating. One of the cool things about Mahler is that he sort of did achieve putting "the entire world" in his music, and everyone likes something different in both the world and his music (if, that is, they like his music). I like Mozart more than Mahler, but I have to admit Mozart's emotional range is much narrower. | kildare
06.21.24 | @MTObsidian: "hard to pay close attention to such complex music for so long": Yeah, it's brutal sometimes. I've only gotten all the way through a whole symphony, in one sitting, maybe four times. But I agree that live performance is a kick. He's not my favorite composer, but he's my #1 recommendation for a live performance. The players are just ludicrously busy during the faster movements. Like a musical kaleidoscope | kildare
06.21.24 | @budgie! I'm still hanging around, kicking up undergrowth, looking for grubs
Spotted Towhee, ground feeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAF4i1xU3Yk | budgie
06.21.24 | aw what's that cute little stomp he's doing, to agitate the worms to the surface? | kildare
06.21.24 | that's my guess. What a life, huh? | kildare
06.21.24 | "cute little stomp": not quite as endearing as watching them bathe, but close |
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