Mahler 7 (2016)

Inspired by the chamber reductions of modernist orchestral music that were staples of Arnold Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances (1918-21), conductor Peter Stangel offers his own arrangement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 7 in E minor with the Taschenphilharmonie (Pocket Philharmonic), which they premiered in 2013. There's no doubt that the Munich-based group, consisting at any time of 12-20 distinguished musicians, plays this arrangement of the symphony with intensity, commitment, some scrappiness, and ... Read More

Inspired by the chamber reductions of modernist orchestral music that were staples of Arnold Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances (1918-21), conductor Peter Stangel offers his own arrangement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 7 in E minor with the Taschenphilharmonie (Pocket Philharmonic), which they premiered in 2013. There's no doubt that the Munich-based group, consisting at any time of 12-20 distinguished musicians, plays this arrangement of the symphony with intensity, commitment, some scrappiness, and more than a little bravado. But the point of transcribing the work for a small chamber orchestra needs clarification. Certainly, there is no lack of full-scale performances of the Seventh in the concert hall or on CD, so it is not a rarely played work that requires a transcription to make it more available to the public. Nor is it necessary for the sake of comprehension, because as strange as this symphony was to its first listeners, today it is well-known and quite accessible. Of all... Read Less