Steve Schwartz, who has written many perfectly fine reviews, asks:

>...who's written a perfect symphony, and which one?  And is a
>perfect symphony the same thing as a good symphony?

As we know, there are many definitions of perfect (from Dictionary.com):

1.  Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or
kind.  Mahler lacks nothing but brevity.  All his symphonies are perfect
but the 10th.

2.  Being without defect or blemish: a perfect specimen.  None of Mahler's
symphonies are perfect.

3.  Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.
Mahler and Strauss are perfect orchestrators.  As to mastery of form,
one could argue either side.

4.  Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation.  Depending
on how you document Mahler's purposes associated with individual symphonies,
you could argue most of them are perfect.

5.  Completely corresponding to a description, standard, or type: a
perfect circle; a perfect gentleman.  Well, here you posit a standard
and compare.  None of Mahler's symphonies are perfect when Beethoven,
Brahms or Mozart are the standards.

6.  Accurately reproducing an original: a perfect copy of the painting.
Mahler's symphonies are chock full of imperfect replicas of himself and
others.  Part of their charm and frustration.

7.  Complete; thorough; utter: a perfect fool. His symphonies are a
perfect, self-absorbed, Woody-Allen world of their own.

8.  Pure; undiluted; unmixed: perfect red.  Anyone who claims Mahler
doesn't have a mixture of stuff has got a tough argument ahead!

9.  Excellent and delightful in all respects: a perfect day. Many would
ascribe perfection to Mahler in this respect, e.g., the Fourth symphony.

10.  Botany.  Having both stamens and pistils in the same flower;
monoclinous.  Well, both he and Alma and other women are there.

11.  Music.  Designating the three basic intervals of the octave, fourth,
and fifth.  Plenty of this in Mahler, but by this criterion, I would
judge Hindemith the more perfect symphonist.  Wagner too made a lot of
hay on the emphasis of these intervals.

"Jeff Dunn" <[log in to unmask]>