Repertoire: Mahler's Problematic Tenth Symphony

Mahler's incomplete Tenth Symphony has received more than enough attention to alert us to the fact that a fully satisfying version remains pretty much a pipe dream. The best attempt at completion is still Deryck Cooke's, and I'll tell you which recordings are the best. All of the other completions are junk and should be ignored, at least as plausible representations of Mahler's intentions.

[lawrencejohnson]

Ormandy, Chailly, and Sanderling are the greatest. It's my favorite Mahler symphony. I think the Finale is one of the most beautiful, moving pieces of music I've ever heard. Mahler gives us a shattering victory over death through art.

[JohnnyDelta-]

You can only experience a first hearing of a Mahler symphony once in your lifetime. For me, when as a young man in college I heard the Rattle/Bournemouth recording, it blew me away. I've never heard anything so heartfelt, so perfectly realized as this Mahler 10th recording. I dare you to listen to the first 4:30 of the finale and tell me that this conductor and this orchestra don't have Mahler in their souls. And those hammer blows! I've never heard anything like it in other Mahler 10th recordings. The whole performance is devastatingly, achingly beautiful. I've heard many other fine recordings of the work, but in my opinion, this one is the most moving of them all.

[greatmomentsofopera]

Mahler 10 is my favourite of his symphonies! The whole conception is so wonderful, I can forgive the rough patches.

[americanmultigenic]

I am greatly enjoying your channel. Thank you for the videos! And, for what it is worth, you have spurred me to spend actual $$$s to enlarge my personal library for the first time in years with your recommendations.

[porcinet]

I have always thought that given how much Mahler revised his symphonies after performance that the late works might have changed as well had he lived long enough to direct performances of them. I strongly think that a genuinely complete 10th from Mahler himself would have been very different to what we have. I find the Adagio on its own such a magnificent piece of music I am happy that it survived (even then I am not sure it would have remained exactly as it is had Mahler lived to complete it).

[james.t.herman]

I’m about 15 years younger than you. If the lifespans work out right, I’ll start publishing my completions of Hurwitz reviews and tell them how you were secretly a big Currentzis fan.

[ultradmann]

For the first time last summer before I found your channel, I had did a long overdue Mahler cycle listen because I hadn't before. And to my surprise I had ABSOLUTELY no clue that he had a tenth that went unfinished. It was baffling to me because Mahler is one of favorite composer and for the decade or so that I've been playing an instrument and knew about Mahler, 1-9 was only evered mentioned to me. So when I actually listened to the 10th I was blown away by how it sounds and I've been hooked on trying to find completed recording....but then I found out that there's a crap ton of sketches and I gave up. Then looked up the scherzo and purgaturio along with the 1st movement and found your video coming in CLUTCH ONCE AGAIN! Thanks again for the help and now I can listen to the best version of the first 3 movements because the other two kinda stink to me.

[bluetortilla]

THERE IS ONLY THE ADAGIO!!! This is heartbreaking. What a gorgeous, beautiful adagio it is. Enjoy it. We're lucky to have it.

[emilalfaro]

I completely agree that the symphony really shouldn’t have been completed, and all performing versions expect Cooke are unmahlerian trash, especially Barshai. You’re completely right on why Cooke is so good too, he does the least and doesn’t pretend that we can know all of what Mahler wanted with a completion not by the guy himself.
However, I’m extremely grateful for the Finale, which (despite it’s errors you pointed out) is some of the most beautiful stuff Mahler wrote, in my opinion. The beginning dark atmosphere with the big military drum thud thing that quotes the Purgatorio is so wonderfully dark, and the flute solo after it is one of his best ever solos, transcendent beauty. And the main theme after the flute solo in B Major! God! I honestly think it may be the most beautiful melody I’ve heard. Mahler is, I think at his best when he writes more simple things like this. And the sort of climax or string chorale (titled Immer Langsam, I believe) is the most passionate thing I’ve ever heard from Mahler. It seems like the orchestration through out the whole thing (though we can really only use the Adagio for an example) was attempting a whole new modern atmosphere for his music, and I think, if he finished it, would be one of the most important symphonies, and maybe his best. Some of the stuff you can use in a film score today and no one would scrunch an eyebrow and notice.
In all, if I got a Time Machine, the only thing I’d do is try and prolong Mahler’s life so he can truly finish it.

[marks]

Mr H has great ears and knows the repertoire inside out. Very impressive the small details he picks up on. Long may these reviews continue !

[davidowen]

I agree entirely with Sanderling -- this has always been my go to of this symphony and in this recording is also my favourite Mahler work. The finale, even without the composer being able to polish it, is still the most moving thing he ever wrote. And is one of Sanderling's greatest achievements as well.

[markdavidsonjewell]

Thomas Dausgaard with Seattle!!! This is the one. I know Chailly and Rattle well, then Dausgaard blew me away. Also, Montreal OM under Nézet-Séguin is surprisingly good. I am so thankful that Cooke prepared a preforming version of this incredible work.

[jdj]

If I were to conduct this I would not do either of the scherzi. I know for many people the scherzi are the whole point of the symphony because it's supposedly evidence of Mahler entering the Second Viennese School but to my ears it's just evidence of music left in too incomplete a state to fully understand what he intended. The other three movements, however, are complete enough, and can work in performance with the most minimal of editing. I know this sounds blasphemous, but I recently built a playlist in which the two parts of the final version of Das Klagende Lied replace the scherzi and it's scary how well it works. The tonal scheme fits perfectly, and the loud ending of the Hochzeitstuck followed by the bass drum thwack that begins the Finale of the Tenth feels seamless. I'm not sure if anyone could get away with doing this in concert, but I highly recommend it as a hybrid composition, a conversation between the Mahlers at the beginning and ending of his career.

[ftumschk]

Can't argue over Ormandy, Gielen and Sanderling - Gielen's probably my favourite overall, but the other two are excellent. I have a soft spot for Berthold Goldschmidt's recording of the première performance on Testament; mostly for "historical" reasons, but also because it has a fascinating illustrated talk about the symphony and its reconstruction by Deryck Cooke himself.

[kaidipan]

Yes, my goodness Sanderling's Mahler 10 is of divine quality.

[olivierbeltrami]

This is not a completion, it’s finishing the missing orchestration. Mahler wrote the music to the end on 2 staves. This is not patching random sketches together. Add to this the totally competent yet sel-effacing work of Cooke.

[jonyungk]

Glad you mentioned Ormandy. Thank you.

[guiadosclassicos]

You are wonderful, Mr. Hurwitz! Thanks for sharing your opinions. 💛🎵💛

[janouglaeser]

David, have you listened to Wigglesworth's rendition with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra? If so, what do you think of it? (If not, please consider giving it a try)

[TonyBöhle]

Dear Dave, thanks for your recommendations! I didn’t knew Dausgaard’s recording before. But now it has become one of my favorites. In your talk you only mentioned competitions of M10. What do you think are the best Adagio only recordings? - If there are any better one then those from the “full” versions you mentioned... Maybe for those who only want what Mahler really wrote.