Mahler, Tilson Thomas, and Pretzel Vendors

Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

Ah, yes. There still are some reasons to read the audiophile mags. The current issue of TAS contains an interview with Michael Tilson Thomas, speaking about the SFSO's recording projects (Mahler Symphony cycle done in SACD multi-channel), and about the intent of Mahler in the creation of the symphonies themselves. As an audio junkie his take on the recording process is fascinating, but as a Mahler fan with no musical training, his discussion of the music is priceless.
Mahler's self-described intent in a symphony was to "create a whole world." I had heard this before, but MTT explains it in a way that is non-technical, and had me nodding my head saying, "Yes, that is exactly what I've been hearing!"
He describes the 1st Symphony as being like a huge, epic film--"You're seeing an enormous crowd scenes take place, when suddenly, in the middle of this dramatic epic, into the view of the camera comes a character who's like the push-cart pretzel peddler. This bizarre, downtrodden, twisted, odd character appears, and he's got one strangely shaped shoulder and an odd droop to his head, and he's muttering under his breath and slathering his mustard...Somehow, only through the context of this odd character you understand the whole human drama and meaning of the enormous epec you've just seen...What Mahler really wants at any particular moment is for the second clarinettist--or third bassoon, or fourth horn--to be the pretzel vendor..."
I don't know a whole lot about Michael Tilson Thomas (I'm but a simple jazzboy, after all...), but his ability to describe music in a way that a non-musician can appreciate reminds me very much of Leonard Bernstein. Get the Dec/Jan Absolute Sound if you can. Worth it for this interview alone.

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Topic - Mahler, Tilson Thomas, and Pretzel Vendors - Bagsgroove 10:50:23 11/29/02 (11)

Mahler Reviled - Mahler Superstar - Severius! 16:09:32 11/30/02 (0)

Mahler. The classical genre's equivalent of Bruce Sptingsteen! - Muzikmike 07:07:08 11/30/02 (1)

Damned big fingers! nt - Muzikmike 07:56:37 11/30/02 (0)

MTT is indeed a good read. nt - clarkjohnsen 06:11:23 11/30/02 (0)

Re: Possum Holler AKA 'Opossum holler' - Timbo in Oz 18:48:10 11/29/02 (0)

Re: Mahler, Tilson Thomas, and Pretzel Vendors - aed2ea 15:38:48 11/29/02 (3)

This last post was hard to understand.................. - Ruben 12:17:11 11/30/02 (0)

Well, you're only half-right, Puss. - Bagsgroove 16:42:10 11/29/02 (1)

Quite right! nt - clarkjohnsen 06:10:20 11/30/02 (0)

Re: Mahler, Tilson Thomas, and Pretzel Vendors - SETdude 13:37:43 11/29/02 (1)

The name's Kimble. Hank Kimble. - Bagsgroove 15:13:41 11/29/02 (0)

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