Gustav Mahler - Piano Quartet in A minor (c. 1876)

Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect, which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century. A 2016 BBC Music Magazine survey of 151 conductors ranked three of his symphonies in the top ten symphonies of all time.

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Piano Quartet in A minor (c. 1876)

1. Nicht zu schnell

Pražak Quartet (Sachiko Kayahara, Vlastimil Holek, Josef Kluson, Michal Kanka)

Mahler began work on the Piano Quartet in A minor towards the end of his first year at the Vienna Conservatory, when he was around 15 or 16 years of age. The piece had its first performance on July 10, 1876, at the conservatory with Mahler at the piano, but it is unclear from surviving documentation whether the quartet was complete at this time. In several letters, Mahler mentions a quartet or quintet, but there is no clear reference to this piano quartet. Following this performance the work was performed at the home of Dr. Theodor Billroth, who was a close friend of Johannes Brahms. The final known performance of the Quartet in the 19th century was at Iglau on September 12, 1876, with Mahler again at the piano; it was performed along with a violin sonata by Mahler that has not survived.

It appears that at one point Mahler wished to publish the Quartet, as the surviving manuscript, which includes 24 bars of a scherzo for piano quartet written in G minor, bears the stamp of the publisher Theodor Rättig.

Following the rediscovery of the manuscript by Mahler's widow Alma Mahler in the 1960s, the work was premiered in the United States on February 12, 1964, at the Philharmonic Hall in New York City by Peter Serkin and the Galimir Quartet. Four years later it was performed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 1968, at the Purcell Room, London, by the Nemet Ensemble.

The Quartet forms part of the soundtrack in Martin Scorsese's 2010 motion picture Shutter Island and is the subject of a short discussion between the movie's characters. Its complete performance by the Pražák Quartet is featured on the movie's double-CD soundtrack.

[Dylonely_]

Only one movement but still better than several finished quartets.

[Snobrob]

such a work of genius and at 16 yrs of age - its so intimate and caring

[pablodolzaliciaesmichica]

I liked this so much. congratulations.

[ghuinink]

If Schumann lived 25 years longer he would have composed something like this…

[notaire]

Lyrische doch überzeugende Interpetation dieses kompakten doch perfekt komponierten Quartetts im gut analysierten Tempo mit klarem Klang des Klaviers, seidigem Ton der Violine, mildem Ton der Bratsche und tiefem Ton des Violoncellos. Die intime und perfekt entsprechende Miteinanderwirkung zwischen den vier Virtuosen ist wahrhaft ergreifend. Einfach wunderschön!

[hundertfugen]

Its opening theme closely resembles Schönberg's Verklährte Nacht opening theme.

[Noobescu]

I dislike Mahler's symphonies, but this is a brilliant and moving (part of a) quartet!

[jbist]

Very Brahmsian but I like it more than most non-Brahms composers writing in this style.

[baglmonstr]

I swear to God if anyone makes yet another Shutter Island reference...aggghhh

[davidmisura]

Thank god for computer generated clean scores…