Often regarded as the
last great composer in the Austro-Germanic tradition, Gustave Mahler
(1860–1911) exerted a major influence on 20th-century music; his later work in
particular affected the musical ideas of such composers as Arnold Schoenberg,
Dimitri Shostakovich, Alban Berg, and Benjamin Britten.
While his mature work foreshadowed radical elements of
modern music — particularly the dissolution of tonality — Mahler's first
symphonies were written in a relatively traditional programmatic style with a
strong spiritual element. These early works are seen by some critics as
attempting to "establish some ultimate ground for existence in the face of
pain, death, doubt, and despair." The composer's spiritual quest, as well
as the vivid orchestration, innovative symphonic structure, and rich emotional
expression that characterized his music can be clearly studied and appreciated
in this volume, which contains complete scores of Mahler's first two symphonies.
Of the Symphony No. 1 in D Major ("Titan"),
the Encyclopaedia Britannica notes, "The program of the purely orchestral
Symphony No. 1 in D Major … is autobiographical of his youth; the joy of life
becomes clouded over by an obsession with death in the macabre "Funeral
March in the Manner of Callot (basically a parody of popular music), which is
eventually routed in the arduous and brilliant finale."
Of Symphony No. 1 in C Minor,
("Resurrection"), Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians states:
"Symphony II is a good example of all Mahler's works … scored nearly
always heavily for a large orchestra, restless and stormy in places,
monumentally exalted in others."
Now both works are available in this handsome, inexpensive edition,
reproduced directly from the original editions published by Josef Weinberger in
Vienna in 1897 and 1899. Beautifully printed with wide margins and clear
noteheads, this edition of the symphonies offers an unparalleled resource for
studying and enjoying the seminal works of a modern master.
Autor: Gustav Mahler
Publicación: Estados Unidos: Dover
Publications, 1987
Este libro es una nueva adquisición del Sistema
de Bibliotecas, y desde ahora puede ser consultado en la Biblioteca del Carmen
de Viboral, Colección general, 784.184/M214
