Search - Mahler, Prague Piano Duo :: Symphony 1: Piano Duet (Hybr)

Titanic Pianism in the "Titan"

Hexameron | 07/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While Liszt takes the crown for establishing a true art of transcription (as evidenced in his magnificent survey of Beethoven's Symphonies), composers like Mendelssohn, Brahms and Smetana also created marvelous piano four-hand arrangements of their own works. But do Mahler's Symphonies, with their unique orchestration and distinct timbres, really work on the piano? To certain Mahler fanatics they might not. For those with an appetite for the piano or for those who would like to have a new perspective of the First Symphony, this piano arrangement is sensational.



Mahler supposedly played his own works on piano and introduced a young Bruno Walter to his First and Second Symphony through the medium. Walter, who routinely played piano duets with Mahler, eventually made arrangements of the First and Second Symphonies. Although Mahler's First went through a complex series of edits and revisions, initially as a five-movement tone poem and finally as his "First" Symphony, Walter deals with the standard four movement edition. The liner-notes indicate that Walter's arrangement contains "highly precise marks, not only for kinds of attacks, dynamics, and echo effects... but also metronome marks, definitely faster than in the most recent edition of the orchestral score..." Indeed, Walter's arrangement is meticulous, and in the introductions of the first and third movement the tempo is certainly faster. Thankfully, the Prague Duo still fashions together an excellent interpretation.



Obviously, one will have to look past the absence of Mahler's special orchestration and sheer volume of the original Symphony. The opening of the first movement that describes the "awakening of Nature at early dawn" does not reproduce the cuckoo calls and hunting horns effectively. But there is still a strong evocation of Mahler's magical and poetic atmosphere and also clarity of line that only the piano is able to illuminate. The second movement retains all its charisma and rhythmic delight; Walter and the Prague Duo convey an admirable pianistic treatment. The third movement is similarly a success; the somber funeral opening and the clever "Frère Jacques" in a minor key are perfectly suitable for the piano. One couldn't ask for a more solemn and witty interpretation than delivered by the Prague Duo. However, in the final "Stürmisch bewegt" movement, the liner-notes writer declares that "the opening notes... inevitably lose their breadth and violence of attack!" But I find this to be an unfair claim. I'll concede that Mahler's "sudden outburst of despair from a deeply wounded heart" with its symphonic volume and percussive power is indomitable. But the piano arrangement regroups with its own take on Mahler's language, something more akin to the aesthetic of Liszt. I actually didn't find anything wanting in this movement at all: it explodes with virtuosic flights and roars with dramatic expression, especially in the triumphant coda.



Bottom line: While there is no substitute for Mahler's orchestral Symphonies, Walter's piano arrangement proves that the piano is an expressive and enjoyable medium for hearing Mahler's music. The deft and enthusiastic Prague Duo essentially imparts a different and unusual but fresh Mahler experience for the listener. For a novel adaptation of Walter's arrangement, I would also direct the curious to Chitose Okashiro's Mahler: Symphony No.1 "Titan" Piano Solo Transcription, transcribed by Okashiro based on 4 hands version by Bruno Walter"