The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD) Summary and Reviews

The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
by David Hurwitz

The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
List Price: $22.99
Our Price: $12.75
You Save: $10.24 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.95 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: David Hurwitz
Brand: Amadeus Press
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-01
ISBN: 1574670999
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Amadeus Press
Product features:
  • Published by Amadeus Press 224 Pages
  • Book/2 CD Pack by David Hurwitz Includes 2 Music CDs Unlocking the Masters Series, No. 2
  • Composer: Gustav Mahler Author: David Hurwitz

Book Reviews of The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)

Book Review: An Excellent Listener's Guide
Summary: 5 Stars

David Hurwitz has written a marvelous guide for the classical music listener who wants to get more out of Mahler's symphonies but: a) lacks the ability to follow the music him/herself, or make sense of it; and b) finds that CD and program notes do not provide sufficiently detailed description, or are too technical to be understandable. The author provides lengthy but non-technical descriptions of the music as it progresses, keeping the listener on track and ready for what comes next. Major melodies or tunes are identified by ad hoc names (the "kletzmer," the "Alma," etc.). Major rhythms are identified for the reader-listener in the most basic terms (i.e. "dum dum dadum dum"), but it works! Hurwitz eschews biographical background in favor of discussion of the form and content of the music itself. Even if the author fails to convert you to a Mahlerian (and he certainly seems to be one himself), his book will deepen your appreciation for this formerly "much abused" composer.

My complaints are few. In his enthusiasm the author has a tendency to confuse the words "literal" and "figurative" such that, at one point in the book he describes the orchestra as "literally falling over a cliff" or words to that effect; which, for the sake of the musicians' health and casualty insurance premiums I hope did not happen. I wish that discussions of form and interpretations of meaning had been reserved for the front of each chapter, directly following the introduction, so the chronological description of the music had not been interrupted. Strangely, the author, who is not bashful about expressing his opinions, seems surprisingly hesitant to divulge his extra-musical interpretations of the music. Finally, Hurwitz is a most uncritical critic, defending Mahler from every criticism, even those that, to my ears, are justifiable.

In addition to the book the purchaser receives a CD with one-movement excerpts from four Mahler symphonies (#'s 1, 2, 5 and 7). The guides to these four movements contain exact time references to these CD performances for greater ease in following along.

Buyer beware: you'll find you'll want to acquire CD's of Mahler symphonies you don't presently own (I bought #'s 6 and 7), or purchase other versions if yours don't reveal all the twitters, birdcalls, or cowbells itemized in the book.

Highly recommended.

Theater Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Theater Books
Looking Out: Perspectives on Dance and Criticism in a Multicultural World ImageLooking Out: Perspectives on Dance and Criticism in a Multicultural World
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1995-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $110.83
Directors on Directing: A Source Book of the Modern Theatre ImageDirectors on Directing: A Source Book of the Modern Theatre
by Toby Cole, Helen Krich Chinoy
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 1963-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $92.40
Price in other shops: $142.80
Voice and the Actor ImageVoice and the Actor
by Cicely Berry
Wiley; Published: 1991-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $12.95
A Trip to the Light Fantastic: Travels With a Mexican Circus ImageA Trip to the Light Fantastic: Travels With a Mexican Circus
by Katie Hickman
Harpercollins; Published: 1995-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.00
Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? An Autobiography ImageWho On Earth Is Tom Baker? An Autobiography
by Tom Baker
Harper Collins, 1997; Published: 1997; Hardcover; Book
Who on Earth Is Tom Baker? ImageWho on Earth Is Tom Baker?
by Tom Baker
Harpercollins Audio; Published: 1997-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $133.82
Streisand: A Biography ImageStreisand: A Biography
by Anne Edwards
Little Brown & Co (T); Published: 1997-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.79
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Orton Diaries ImageThe Orton Diaries
by Joe Orton
Da Capo Press; Published: 1996-08-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.48
Price in other shops: $18.00
Understanding Movies (12th Edition) ImageUnderstanding Movies (12th Edition)
by Louis Giannetti
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 2010-01-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $69.99
Price in other shops: $105.40
The Theater Experience Tenth Edition ImageThe Theater Experience Tenth Edition
by Edwin Wilson
McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; Published: 2005-12-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Cambridge Companion to Mahler (Cambridge Companions to Music) ImageThe Cambridge Companion to Mahler (Cambridge Companions to Music)
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2007-12-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $30.23
Price in other shops: $33.00
The Mahler Album: New, Expanded Edition ImageThe Mahler Album: New, Expanded Edition
by Gilbert Kaplan
Abrams; Published: 2011-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $32.70
Price in other shops: $50.00
Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) ImageSymphonies Nos. 1 and 2 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
by Gustav Mahler, Music Scores
Alfred Publishing; Dover Publications; Published: 1987-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.89
Price in other shops: $20.95
Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos - An Owner's Manual: Unlocking the Masters Series ImageShostakovich Symphonies and Concertos - An Owner's Manual: Unlocking the Masters Series
by David Hurwitz
Amadeus Press; Amadeus Press; Published: 2006-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops: $22.99
Mahler: Keeping Score ImageMahler: Keeping Score
Release date: 2011-05-10; Published: 2011-09-30; DVD
Best price: $34.92
Price in other shops: $45.98
Little Drummer Boy: Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein ImageLittle Drummer Boy: Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein
Universal Studios; Release date: 2007-09-11; Published: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $15.98
Price in other shops: $29.98
Why Mahler?: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed Our World ImageWhy Mahler?: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed Our World
by Norman Lebrecht
Anchor; Published: 2011-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.60
Price in other shops: $16.00
Gustav Mahler ImageGustav Mahler
by Jens Malte Fischer
Yale University Press; Published: 2011-08-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $31.50
Price in other shops: $50.00
Gustav Mahler: The Symphonies ImageGustav Mahler: The Symphonies
by Constantin Floros
Amadeus Press; Amadeus Press; Published: 2003-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.65
Price in other shops: $19.99
Mahler: The Complete Works - 150th Anniversary Box ImageLondon Philharmonic Orchestra - Mahler: The Complete Works - 150th Anniversary Box
Release date: 2010-06-29; Music CD
Best price: $41.06
Price in other shops: $77.98