# Current Mahler obsessive needs solo piano recommendations.



## Nothung (Feb 9, 2012)

Hello all, 

I have recently begun to dig deep into the world of Gustav Mahler, and am slowly falling in love. However, after seeing the movie Shame last night (an amazing film by the way), I am very in the mood for some solo piano music, and so I was wondering: what solo piano music would you recommend to a current Mahler obsessive?


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I don't think there's any solo piano music quite like Mahler. But if you want grandiose stuff, maybe try Scriabin sonata 3 or the Liszt B minor sonata.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Or *Feinberg*´s piano sonatas, or piano works by *Janacek* ("On an Overgrown Path", "Sonata", "In the Mists" etc. or *Josef Suk* ("Things Lived and Dreamed"), *Rued Langgaard *or the more pastoral *Joseph Marx*. And *Alban Berg*´s Piano sonata.

These are of course rather loose associations, but the works have some of the underlined changes of mood and "novellistic" fin-de-siecle approach characteristic of Mahler.

Oh yes, also Busoni´s version for solo piano of Liszt´s "Ad Nos"-Fantasia (lasting about 1/2 hour; the Hamish Milne recording for instance is recommended).


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

LvB, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner (Glenn Gould), Brahms, Scriabin, Bartok, Janacek, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Sibelius.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Would be fascinating to hear piano transcriptions of Mahler's symphonies, I really like Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven and Berlioz, they might work for you. I just saw Naxos has 16 CDs of Brahms works, transcribed by Brahms himself, for 4 hands, including his symphonies.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

quack said:


> Would be fascinating to hear piano transcriptions of Mahler's symphonies, I really like Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven and Berlioz, they might work for you. I just saw Naxos has 16 CDs of Brahms works, transcribed by Brahms himself, for 4 hands, including his symphonies.


I faintly recall some guy doing a Mahler marathon concert of all symphonies with piano or organ. Someone refresh, or I'll go lie down.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Oh apparently there are a few recordings of Mahler transcriptions and here is Mahler himself.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Play Mahler lieder and sing along. It's what I do. But only when no one else is home.


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## FrankieP (Aug 24, 2011)

I think there are some solo transcriptions somewhere..
there's certainly 4-hand transcriptions, for if you have someone to play through symphonies with? (or piece together the two parts ) like here - Woss transcription http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/c/c0/IMSLP57203-PMLP48640-Mahler_arr_Woss_Symphony9_Piano4hands_Adagio.pdf

maybe there's a notation of this somewhere? 



 there's also versions of at least the 1st and 4th movements of the fifth symphony.. hmmm.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Once I tried making a Mahler symphony piano transcription by playing all the instrumental parts separately and then overlapping them on garage band. It was unsuccessful unfortunately.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Also, sight-reading the four-hand transcriptions is fun, if you have a friend to do it with you. I've played the 1st symphony.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Meaghan said:


> Also, sight-reading the four-hand transcriptions is fun, if you have a friend to do it with you. I've played the 1st symphony.


How did the beginning with all the held notes work out? Were they tremelos?


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