Pierre Paquin wrote:

>John Dalmas wrote:
>
>>>In an article about Bernstein and Mahler in the NY Times two Sundays
>>>ago composer David Schiff wrote that Wilhelm Furtwangler never performed
>>>a Mahler symphony.  I know this to be untrue recalling having read on
>>>the Mahler List a while back that Furtwangler conducted M1, 2, 3 and 4
>>>on several occasions in Germany and Austria between the two World Wars.
>>>Unfortunately, I don't remember the source of this information.  Does
>>>anyone have a clue?
>
>Walter Meyer responded:
>
>>If in Germany between the two world wars, it would have had to have been
>>before early 1933 and if in Austria, before the Anschluss in 1938.
>
>That's totally ridiculous.

In light of Brad Stockwell's (via Tony Duggan) detailed history of
Furtwaengler's Mahler performances earlier in this thread, it's the
above statement that's totally ridiculous.

>Furtwangler did not care that much for Mahler's music.  (Toscanini hated
>it.) Seem to be common sentiments.

Toscanini's antipathy to Mahler stems as much from their professional
rivalry in New York as his dislike for Mahler's music.  They clashed over
who was to conduct Wagner, IIRC.  Mahler thought he should have been given
priority in German works; Toscanini disagreed.

>Thank God I can count myself NOT a member of the sorrow sector among music
>lovers which seems to drift aimlessly and headlong towards Mahler's music
>for some reason(s).

I usually don't respond to a post whose content is essentially "I don't
like it." Some remarks speak for themselves.

Mitch Friedfeld