Why Mahler? Norman Lebrecht live from the English Book shop Zurich

Norman Lebrecht, in his latest book Why Mahler?, presents a highly original interpretation of how a composer, discarded for decades, has risen to challenge Beethoven at the centre of concert culture. What is it about Mahler, he asks, that makes him feel more a man of our 21st century than of his own times. Using psychological, cultural and musical analysis, Mr Lebrecht presents a portrait of a great composer wrestling with being an outsider - and how he invented the tools to deal with it.
Event partners:
www.books.ch
www.internetcom...
www.zko.ch
www.tomac.ch
www.visuals.ch
Read the Norman Lebrecht blog: www.artsjournal...

[@mmlight]

Norman and his boombox! Have to love his passion for the subject.

[@louisbrown8060]

A very interesting lecture, but I wish it had been recorded at a higher volume...there are times it is difficult to hear (even with headphones).

[@shilloshillos]

Wow, an eye opener. I want to read that book!

[@allwinds3786]

MAHLER LIVES!

[@planthi80]

Great lecture!

[@bbarsher]

this composer has strived for the most intimate relations with each other and the Universal elements....

[@telephilia]

Since the creation of the LP record and celebrity champions like Leonard Bernstein, Mahler's place in music has increased enormously, but he surely has not displaced Beethoven. And where do Bach and Mozart fit into Lebrecht's hierarchy of western classical music in which in the first few minutes he seems to award Mahler the central position.

[@Jeff-gi6dh]

First of all, this fellow describes Mozart as a giggly composer, clearly based on the film Amadeus, which is well-known as a caricature of the great composer and not evidenced or accurate in any way, though an entertaining movie! Mahler replacing Beethoven? Even though I am a devoted Mahler fan (and have been so since the late 60s when the only recordings available were by Walter, Bernstein, and Solti), I seriously doubt that, but would say that Mahler is securely ensconced in the classical repertoire, virtually every symphony in the basic repertoire.

[@timothybrittain4161]

Herr Lebrecht doesn't know what "white noise" actually means because the beginning of the 1st is pretty much the opposite (not in an "ironic" way). Why does he not say "atmospheric" or something that actually expresses the effect that Mahler was achieving? And yet, not a note extraneous to the point. This beginning of Mahler's 1st symphony is totally reminiscent of Beethoven (whom Mahler certainly didn't supplant, but extended), and completely indebted to him; although, as Herr L. said, B. did not go as far as M. with this amazing musical mood setting. This point and the foot stamping aside, this is an interesting and worthwhile presentation. Also, something other than a ghetto-blaster would be great for presenting musical excerpts. I do understand budgetary constraints as, sadly, there probably isn't that much interest in this subject at this point in our planetary cycles. Yet what immortal music! What a mind and heart had Mahler! His orchestrations alone are worth the time, even more is the mind-boggling whole.
And, please, don't elevate the Twitter Twit mentality by trying to accommodate a great mind to mass mindlessness.

[@bt10ant]

I'm not cultured enough to understand this.