Robert Peters wrote:

>I once listening to one of Liszts dreadful organ pieces.  It was meant
>to reenact the storm which tossed the boat with the sleeping Jesus and
>the hysterical disciples.  Liszt couldnt resist the temptation to show
>the waves by endless organ chords.  Again and again and again.  Boring
>and pointless.  Someone with more economy would have resisted this
>temptation.  But Liszt, vain and proud of his virtuosity, did the Hollywood
>thing.  Just one example for which I will have to justify again...

But this *is* just one piece. Yes he wrote some fairly awful stuff - the
galop chromatique or whatever it's called - but he also wrote a good
deal of music which is neither showy nor shallow. The late piano music
is nothing like what you describe, for example.

>Mahler put all his neuroses into his music, showing angst and dread and
>chaos.

This sounds reather like the old received "wisdom" on Mahler's character.

>But music is the most emotional art, often leaving logic (or the simple
>act of writing down notes in a certain order) behind.

True, but different people will hear different emotions in the same
piece. As is obvious from this discussion.

Deryk Barker <[log in to unmask]>