Christopher Rosevear wrote:

>>Unlike the latest Berlin recording, the oboe will NOT be glissandoing
>>everything where it is marked as "Naturlaut".  (Nor will he be making
>>other rude noises, a least, not on purpose!)

Tony Duggan responded:

>What a pity.  The Third Symphony is full of rude noises and woe betide
>any conductor who fails to acknowledge them.  As to the oboe glissandi
>in the fourth movement, they are a performance tradition a lot older than
>Claudio Abbado and his new Berlin recording.  In the modern era they were
>first heard in a performance/broadcast by the Philharmonia Orchestra under
>Berthold Goldschmidt in 1960.  Since followed by Rattle and Gielen as well
>as Abbado.

OK so that's some performance tradition for the glissandi -- done also on
Wednesday at the Proms by the Concertgebouw under Inbau.  But matching the
cor anglais written F#-A gliss with the oboe F natural-A gliss is a bear,
and neither Berlin nor Concertgebouw really bring it off.  I note also that
Horenstein has the plaintive sound but not the glissandi, and that indeed
the marking in the score is "Wie ein Naturlaut" - like a noise from nature,
NOT glissando ...

Yes there are all sorts of rude interruptions a la Charles Ives (keck!  -
cheeky!) where various wind instruments have forte entries amongst piano
strings -- there the effect can be achieved as written.  Mahler also marks
with extraordinary precision the dynamics within each "odd" phrase --
again, I believe the effect can be achieved without doing what he did not
write.  Maybe we need to consult Messiaen for the bird song effects???

Anyway, I am practising all variants!!!!

Christopher Rosevear