Joel Hill wrote:

>Concerning Mahler 6...
>
>What seems to be the issue with this work?

Yes, there *are* issues here.  The short version:  The symphony is known
as the "Tragic," a title Mahler rejected.  However, it does make sense in
a late-Romantic sort of way, "tragic" meaning "steamrollered by implacable
Fate," not just "sad." The main themes -- a major-minor seal; and a
death-march, tramping rhythm -- suffuse the whole thing.  There are
fantastic melodies and interludes galore, as well as autobiographical
references, funeral dirges, and clashes between hope, triumph, and fate
motifs.  And let's not forget what I consider to be the most beautiful
melody in all of Mahler (Andante).

There are many performance issues: How fast should the first movement go?
What order should the inner movements be performed?  How many hammerblows?
Believe me, I've only scratched the surface.

There's lots of great recordings of this, the height of Mahler' art (IMO).
Sanderling/St.  Petersburg is a current favorite on the Mahler-List; lots
of people like Barbirolli (either of the studio ones; I have the EMI
coupled with Metamorphoses); maybe a good middle-of-the-road candidate
would be Szell, and budget priced at that.  I envy you your first listening
to this Work (upper-case, sic).

Mitch Friedfeld