How Mozart Became a Bad Composer, by Glenn Gould

I’m not sure how many readers will agree with Glenn Gould’s analysis of Mozart’s piano compositions, especially his later ones, but I think it’s well worth watching and listening to, not least because the presenter is obviously relishing the opportunity to say what he really thinks in the full knowledge that in the process he is winding up a great many of his audience! It’s also interesting how he delivers his pieces to camera: it doesn’t look like he’s using an autocue but he’s a very precise and coherent speaker.

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Der Abschied

A little dickie bird (or, more accurately, quite a large one with impressive plumage) emailed me to point out that today, 18th May 2011, is the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler. I couldn’t let the date go unmarked, so thought I’d post something here. I couldn’t decide which of two bits to put up, so decided to go with them both.

Although it’s long (and I don’t really like posting segments of things) it seemed appropriate to offer Der Abschied (“The Farewell”), the last movement from Das Lied von der Erde. I picked this version, featuring the legendary mezzo soprano Christa Ludwig.

Incidentally, Das Lied von der Erde is a symphony and it was written by Mahler after the 8th Symphony. However, it isn’t the 9th Symphony, which is a different work, or indeed the 10th which was unfinished at Mahler’s death and which I heard here in Cardiff recently.

If you haven’t got time to listen to all of that one, try this remarkable recording instead. It’s Urlicht, one of the songs from Das Knaben Wunderhorn which appears in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (“The Resurrection”), sung by the late Maureen Forrester (contralto) and conducted by none other than a (very young) Glenn Gould.