Mats Norrman replies to my question:

>>>I think that he intended the tempos in his symphonies to be taken more
>>>fluctuative that he notated.
>
>>How do you know that?.
>
>* Reading the very detailed eyewithnesses (Strauss, Bauer-Lechner a.o.)
>descriptions of Mahlers conducting. , Reading Mahlers own ideas about
>conducting, or Wagners "On Conducting".* Listening to early recordings,
>clokcing the tempos, and comparing them with newer performances.* Reading
>the complimentary tempomarks Sibelius published as addition to his
>symphonies. * Looking in a Strawinky score.* etc etc.

Very impressive.  However, "nicht zu schell", Mats.  None of these sources
provides solid arguments for your thesis.  Eyewitness' testimonies and
opinions are just circumstantial evidence.  Mahler's own opinions about
conducting doesn't tells us necessarily what treatment did he expect for
his own works.  Early recordings (even by Mengelberg or Walter) doesn't
shows exactly the style of Mahler's conducting.  (you mention also a
Strawinsky score..  wasn't Strawinsky who held always that the only
authority on musical interpretation is what is written at the score?).
It can be supposed with certain ground of logic that, being Mahler himself
a conductor, his marks of dynamic and tempo would be very precise and they
would reflect exactly his intentions: after all, they were adressed to his
colleagues.

He also writes, in response to my quoting of some examples:

>>Mahler was another obsessive of tempo and dynamic marks.  When he wants a
>>fluctuation of the tempo, he indicates it with all precission.  See "Wenn
>>mein Schatz.." bars 1-43: 10 changes of tempo in 43 bars (all of them
>>perfectly notated);
>
>These songs are a bit different from the symphonies, but there can be
>many reasons to that you describe here, Mahler cared very much for this
>passage, or you atre picking an exception are two of those possible
>reasons.  But one could speculate; there might after all have been some
>sort of consencus on how to treat tempos (I draw this conclusion from
>specific circumstances), and this passage might just differ from that
>pattern.

Perhaps you are right.  However, I don't see why should Mahler employ
a different criterion for that indications in his songs than in his
symphonies.  Neither do I see why there would be "exceptions".  I think
that when Mahler writes "bewegter" in a precise place of the score is just
because he wants this modification to be made in this particular passage,
and not in another.

Pablo Massa
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