The Eighth: Mahler and the World in 1910

I couldn’t agree more fully or warmly with the writer of the first review here: Stephen Johnson’s new book is a triumph.It’s not surprising, because Johnson always writes so well. One of BBC Radio 3’s finest broadcasters, you can almost ‘hear’ his voice in the prose here – intelligent, measured, informed, but above all full of passion and enthusiasm for the subject, supremely accessible.Four features of this book strike me as especially noteworthy.First, whereas many commentators apply preconceived ideas about Mahler to his music, seeing how well particular works respond to tick-boxes, Johnson explores Mahler’s evolving mindset and sound-world from the ground up. He explores the sequence of works written from the 8th Symphony until his death, looking (above all in the case of that seminal 8th) closely at the musical and textual evidence first and reaching conclusions only later. This is surprisingly rare in writing about music for a wide audience, but it credits readers with intelligence, and is surely a model of writing engagingly and meaningfully for readers who care about music but may not be able to follow its technicalities fully.Secondly, it locates the 8th Symphony within the working pattern of Mahler’s life, composing and revising in the summer break but otherwise busy as an internationally celebrated conductor as the ‘day job’. This brings the most fascinating juxtaposition between the often gloriously affirmative content of the 8th Symphony, written in 1906, and the circumstances of its premiere in Munich four years later. By that point Mahler was a troubled man, one of Freud’s clients, in declining health, and composing music of a very different character. Johnson modestly notes in the foreword that ‘if I have related [the story of Mahler’s fortunes in 1910] half as well as it deserves, the reader’s time will not be completely wasted.’ He has done – the tale is extraordinary.Thirdly, Johnson has a sure command of historical context, and an almost novelistic ability to evoke (via visual art such as that of Klimt and the work of writers such as Zweig) the time and place of the 8th Symphony’s premiere. There is an excellent chapter exploring the various ways in which the work might be seen – as a German composer’s work, as a Viennese composer’s work, and as a Jewish outsider’s work. As he makes plain, the truth is more complex than any one pigeon-hole would merit. Mahler would have approved of this humanistic breaking down of categories, surely; one of the most chilling insights in this chapter is that the young Hitler came to Vienna in 1907, while Mahler was just about to leave the city to take up a post in New York. ‘It is possible that Mahler saw Hitler’, Johnson writes, ‘selling his watercolours of the city sights, on one of his walks along the Ringstrasse.’ This makes Johnson’s book part of a thoughtful, non-partisan endeavour to re-examine the nature of national identity at a time when non-partisanship and an awareness of complexity could hardly be more humanly important.Lastly, and possibly most importantly, this loving case-study of the 8th Symphony has the intellectual and emotional honesty, and the admiration, not to suggest definitive answers. It leaves the work, and Maher’s music generally, both clearer in the reader’s mind and inviting even more urgent questions than before.What could be a greater tribute than that? A book to be recommended with the greatest enthusiasm.

This book is invaluable to me, especially as I had always struggled to unlock the secrets to understanding Mahler's 8th Symphony. It had been a frustration to find myself at odds with the symphony prior to reading this book. The depth Stephen Johnson finds in this subject is remarkable and I often had to put the book down at intervals to absorb the wisdom and humanity of both the composer and the author. You can't put a price on a book that can fundamentally alter your perception of a symphony to such a degree that you feel qualified to discuss it immediately after reading it with other enthusiasts. I was also impressed with the analysis surrounding Mahler's Spiritual and Cultural schizophrenia, especially his complex relationship with Germany. And not only do we unlock the 8th, but the tremendous and detailed analysis of the 10th is most welcome and adds multiple levels to the read. You will certainly not regret adding this important book to your collection. Recommended without hesitation.

This is a very detailed, in depth study of this symphony along with extracts and relevant personal experiences of the composer, particularly at the time of composing the symphony. I can only admire the knowledge of the author and the comprehensive nature of the appraisal. The insight into Mahler's setting of Veni, Creator Spiritu and the final scene of Goethe's Faust was very helpful in appreciating the work However I personally found the book a bit overpowering and various analyses of the different parts difficult to follow as I listened to my recording of the symphony. I kept getting lost! I do prefer Mahler's non-choral works but this is no reflection on what is an excellent book.

This is a fascinating book for anyone with an interest in Mahler and his music. I have read quite a few books on Mahler, but I learned a lot from this one. Well written and full of insights.

Very interesting. It gives incite to what Austria was like just before WW 1.

Foi un regalu a un fan de Gustav Mahler. Topolu enteteníu y prestosu de lleer, pero parez que, pal expertu, nun aporta nada relevante.

parfait

If you already own the de la Grange biography of Mahler, Alma Mahler's memoirs of her husband, or Bruno Walter's memoirs of his friend Mahler, you will learn virtually nothing new from this worthless book. In fact, it seems as if the author read all three and simply paraphrased what was in them concerning Mahler's 8th Symphony and Mahler in general - just like a lazy 9th grade student would do with Cliff's Notes. I would have thought that with all the biographies of Mahler now available, that the author would have sought out letters or remembrances from people who participated in the premiere performance. After all, there were more than 1,000 performers on the stage. But only the few descriptions by people at the premiere that are already mentioned in every book about Mahler are included. The author didn't uncover a single new bit of information about the first performance in Munich. Instead we are subjected to the author's meaningless speculation about events in Mahler's life. Yawn... Who cares? I truly regret buying this and am going to donate it to my local library. If I could give this zero stars I would. Please save your money and buy one of the other books I mentioned.