# Can someone please explain Mahler's 9th to me?



## theclassicalguy (Jan 21, 2009)

I am a huge Mahler fan. He is my favorite composer by far and his music speaks to my soul. Everyone talks about how his 9th symphony may be his greatest and is a total masterpiece. I just don't get it! It doesn't really do much for me, and this frustrates me-can anyone 'explain' the piece to me? I have Chailly's recording of it-maybe I need another one? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I agree, it is not my favorite symphony of his at all - much prefer the 8th


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

The 9th is probably my least fav Mahler symphony.


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

I think it is the last movement that makes mahler 9th special. 

One of my favourite musical moments was listening to it turned up loud in summer with the patio doors open and the summery rain coming down outside - one of those moments where music makes the scene so marvellous unexpectedly which instantly gives you full appreciation of the beauty and intesity of the underlying content of the music. 

There is i think unsurpassed fullness and sense of life and emotion - deep purply feelings, not surface heart on sleeve expressiveness. 

All i wish is that mahler hadnt gone on to do his 10th because its unfinished slightly scrappy existance is an anticlimax to the true swan song of the fading away of the 9th


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

theclassicalguy said:


> I am a huge Mahler fan. He is my favorite composer by far and his music speaks to my soul. Everyone talks about how his 9th symphony may be his greatest and is a total masterpiece. I just don't get it! It doesn't really do much for me, and this frustrates me-can anyone 'explain' the piece to me? I have Chailly's recording of it-maybe I need another one? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.


The 9th is a beautiful piece of work, in my opinion, and I agree with what Sir Simon Rattle said about this symphony. Check this out:






This was Mahler's "farewell" symphony. This is Mahler coming to grips with the reality that the whole world around him was coming to an end. It is very much about death and moving on.

Watch that YouTube video and tell me your thoughts.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I also find Mahler's 9th harder to tackle than the others (so it's not only me!). A truly epic work. The first movement alone can be a symphony in itself. So it obviously takes more time to get your head around this work than perhaps the others. Just give it time, I say...


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Andre said:


> I also find Mahler's 9th harder to tackle than the others (so it's not only me!). A truly epic work. The first movement alone can be a symphony in itself. So it obviously takes more time to get your head around this work than perhaps the others. Just give it time, I say...


I have found that going from symphonies 1-9 and then the Adagio is like the examination of an entire person's life. The thing I enjoy the most about Mahler is how his symphonies are truly autobiographical from start to finish. They read like a diary into his thoughts and feelings. He was a brutally honest composer and some people find this a bit tough to swallow, so there's no question that the 9th would be hardest to get into.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

theclassicalguy said:


> I am a huge Mahler fan. He is my favorite composer by far and his music speaks to my soul. Everyone talks about how his 9th symphony may be his greatest and is a total masterpiece. I just don't get it! It doesn't really do much for me, and this frustrates me-can anyone 'explain' the piece to me? I have Chailly's recording of it-maybe I need another one? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.


For me, the power of the ninth lies in its ability to mesmerize. I tend to listen to 1-8 on a more intellectual level- I notice the swirling melodies, the ingenious harmonizations, and the subtle contrapuntal lines. But I never think about that stuff in the ninth. I just get drawn in and involved on a very physical, emotional level.

Maybe, classicalguy, consider how you listen to 1-8. Do you think about melodies and harmonies, or just bask in the music? Then, listen to the ninth from a different direction. If you "bask" in 1-8, listen to the ninth from an intellectual perspective, or vice versa.

BTW, here's the recording that made me love the ninth:


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Classicalguy, read my original post to you and watch that YouTube video. I think you will walk away with a clearer understanding of the piece. Perhaps not from a musical perspective, but from a philosophical perspective anyway. Nobody can really teach you to enjoy the music. That solely lies within you, but understanding what was going on in Mahler's life will help you understand it better I think.

Happy listening, it's a beautifully rewarding piece of music.


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## theclassicalguy (Jan 21, 2009)

Thank you all for the great advice. Mirror Image, I'll definitely watch that video and let you know what I think.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

I have trouble getting beyond his 3rd...


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

jezbo said:


> I have trouble getting beyond his 3rd...


Go listen to his 5th. What a great piece of music! Mahler is the kind of composer that needs to be absorbed and listened to carefully over a period of time. You're not just going to like him right off the bat. He has to grow on you much the same way Bruckner has to.


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## Tockley (Jun 27, 2009)

Although Mahler is a composer I have largely neglected, after reading this thread I'm intrigued. What would be a good piece to start with as an introduction to his work?


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Tockley said:


> Although Mahler is a composer I have largely neglected, after reading this thread I'm intrigued. What would be a good piece to start with as an introduction to his work?


I would probably start with Symphony No. 4 as Mahler basically modeled this symphony as an homage to the classical composers of the past like Mozart and Beethoven. Try it out I think you'll like it.


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## Tockley (Jun 27, 2009)

Mirror Image said:


> I would probably start with Symphony No. 4 as Mahler basically modeled this symphony as an homage to the classical composers of the past like Mozart and Beethoven. Try it out I think you'll like it.


OK, I will thank you.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Tockley said:


> OK, I will thank you.


You're welcome. Enjoy the music.


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

Mirror Image said:


> Watch that YouTube video and tell me your thoughts.


It does seem that Rattle identified with this music, though one has to wonder about the remark that the previous 52 performances were performed by 'Claudio' ( meaning presumably Claudio Abbado, his predecessor in Berlin).

I listened recently to this symphony and found myself agreeing with a critic who said (in paraphrase) 'the material is good for 20 mins max'. This resonated with me because I heard the last movement end three times before it actually did.

As a teenager, I worshiped Mahler, but his appeal has since abated.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Yosser said:


> It does seem that Rattle identified with this music, though one has to wonder about the remark that the previous 52 performances were performed by 'Claudio' ( meaning presumably Claudio Abbado, his predecessor in Berlin).
> 
> I listened recently to this symphony and found myself agreeing with a critic who said (in paraphrase) 'the material is good for 20 mins max'. This resonated with me because I heard the last movement end three times before it actually did.
> 
> As a teenager, I worshiped Mahler, but his appeal has since abated.


Let me clarify something for you and anyone reading, Mahler, for me, only wrote two symphonies that I care about Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 5. If these were the only two symphonies he wrote, then I would be happy. They're the only ones I listen to anyway. This has earned Mahler a special place in my top 10 favorite composers for just these two symphonies.


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

Mirror Image said:


> Let me clarify something for you and anyone reading, Mahler, for me, only wrote two symphonies that I care about Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 5. If these were the only two symphonies he wrote, then I would be happy. They're the only ones I listen to anyway. This has earned Mahler a special place in my top 10 favorite composers for just these two symphonies.


As a a youth, my favorite was Nr 4, but your post encourages me to have a fresh listen to 2 & 5.


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