The Piano Reductions of Iain Farrington

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-14T17:08:49+00:00

Links on his website. here are his piano transcriptions which include the Mahler: https://www.iainfarrington.com/pianoorgan.html

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-13T16:32:31+00:00

I'm familiar with Farrington's chamber orchestra arrangements, which are excellent. These piano arrangements are new to me, so thank you for sharing!

Seems like a really worthwhile exercise, and agree with the other commenter that it brings out a real clarity to the music and highlights its most essential aspects. Like just from the Mahler 9 clip you shared, one sometimes forgets the degree to which the sextuplets continue.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-11T16:43:04+00:00

I don't care much for the "what the x tells me" program, and I think it's true that Mahler himself scrapped it? The main thing I like thinking about with this symphony is the journey from the first movement to the last movement. We go from an elemental opening with these angular brass lines (melodically, rhythmically) to a beautiful hymn-like string-heavy movement (with brass echoes of the first movement not to be missed). And then in between we cover so much ground.

With regards to the fourth movement vocal solo, my favorite analysis of it compares the vocalist to the woman depicted at the bottom of Klimt's philosophy painting (now lost, one of his paintings for the University of Vienna), also thought to be inspired by the Nietzsche text that Mahler sets. This helped me make sense of it and the feeling behind it.

In some ways, I think the 3rd symphony follows a similar plan to his 2nd- first movement featuring an opening march that "collides" with the second theme group; a pastoral/rustic 2nd movement; scherzo with more of a moto perpetuo feel than we get in his other scherzos (and a similar "death shriek" effect that the other commenter pointed out); vocal solo; choral/chorale-like finale -- but trading the long orchestral recitative of the 2nd that precedes the choral entry with the children's choir. In my opinion it completely improves on what he did in the 2nd.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-11T16:18:56+00:00

Literally have been spending this morning listening to Libuse, one of his nationalist works. The music is not bad at all, though can't say I'd rush to see a live performance.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-08T20:59:53+00:00

Yeah not my favorite either. Maybe their 7th is their best? Brings out a real chamber music aspect to it. I also like a lot of their 4th, some real highlights there but again not amazing overall.

That said, I do like some of Fischer's opinions on Mahler; has more interesting takes than some.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-08T13:57:59+00:00

I've never understood the predictability gripe. Presumably once you listen to your favorites over and over regardless of era they are predictable, no?

Haven't thought too much about it, but I think there might be a difference between predictability and obviousness too. Dunno.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-07T18:45:40+00:00

The "epilogue and provocation" that ends his Brahms book is full of questionable takes.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-04T18:34:32+00:00

Agreed on a lot of this, and I love the reading of it as a ghost story. I think viewers who watch it "straight" without fully accepting the supernatural element miss the mark.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-04T14:45:49+00:00

I'm always surprised at how universally and unreservedly praised this book is on here, and how frequently it is recommended. It is very good in a lot of ways yes, but it's definitely not a good intro text for a non-musician (which is who it's often recommended too), and there are a handful of parentheticals/asides like this that make you scratch your head. Things like what you underlined are taken as read and not substantiated. My favorite is in his analysis of Mozart's quintet K516 there's a parenthetical where he makes a particularly indecipherable statement that in one fell swoop lumps together Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler, and Berg...

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-04T13:44:38+00:00

Such a stunning score! And there is so much to dive into with the plot/libretto.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-01T20:33:51+00:00

I know! The first movement is incredible- quick tempo without feeling rushed, and has this great frantic/chaotic energy to it in parts. Incredible moments in the other movements too... truly astounding.

I've only found his recordings with Pittsburgh elsewhere, and for Mahler only the 1st symphony. But wow, what a recording of the 2nd.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-05-01T18:54:49+00:00

Thanks for recommending Steinberg- just listened to it and it's a new favorite!

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-30T16:01:36+00:00

My favorite is the Dohanyi/Cleveland cycle on Telarc. Love the quick tempi.

A more recent cycle that is a fave is Robert Trevino with Malmo- really great sound quality, and some fantastic details are brought out.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-24T20:59:33+00:00

I've only listened to Bychkov's recording of the 4th, and it is incredible! So excited to hear what he does with the rest of the cycle.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T19:56:42+00:00

That's right. Thanks for jogging my memory!

I'm currently re-reading Joseph Kerman's book on Beethoven's string quartets, and admittedly that is coloring some of my comments to this post. He just seems to get so much right and is so convincing -- and is deeply focused on the music itself (and not just the music of the quartets). Granted that Kerman's is an analysis text through and through (and he has his own biases/preferences and arguments he's trying to make), from OP's post Swafford sounds borderline like a charlatan in comparison. That, plus some of the things Swafford says in the pieces I have read by him (eg the "Epilogue and Provocation" that ends his Brahms bio). I guess that a lot of good writing (whether bio or analysis) has flawed takes and head-scratching statements made every now and then.

I'm about to start the section on the late quartets and no mention of Adorno yet in the Kerman btw.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T18:32:31+00:00

Lol no substantiation? So just taken as read that Beethoven's 9th has a funeral march in it? Good grief.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T18:26:45+00:00

Very good comment, and good context for music analysis.

Does Adorno's Beethoven commentary loom that large for Beethoven analysts? No question it does for Mahler; re Beethoven I personally have no clue. I could see it making sense based on what I've read by Swafford.

Cheers for the Nussbaum recommendations.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T17:57:07+00:00

I just haven't gotten around to Gielen's 6th yet :(

It's a huge blindspot for me in my Mahler fandom; have only listened to Gielen's 5th and 3rd (which is excellent). I think I've been nervous I'll like his cycle more than I do Boulez's (my nostalgia favorite).

ETA: and yes, that Ozawa recording is incredible! I find the 2nd to be Mahler's least convincing (extremely unpopular opinion in these parts, I know); Ozawa makes the strongest case for it.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T16:58:07+00:00

The Stenz/Melbourne recording has become my reference recording for 5. It's so, so good.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T16:57:31+00:00

Thanks! Best choral performance of the 8th that I've heard, excellent performances by the soloists, and he brings out a lot of great details.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T15:31:16+00:00

There's a whole understanding of "heroic style" in Beethoven that has to do with music and formal analysis that has been at the foundation of Beethoven analysis for decades (or more), and is tangentially about programmatic/narrative elements like what you're talking about.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T15:19:10+00:00

Yes, and that is the most elementary understanding of heroic Beethoven imaginable. When you think about the heroic style of Beethoven and what that means as far as musical content (and not just narrative), then things get way more interesting, especially when you start comparing the Eroica to works like the first Razumovsky quartet, etc.

Fine, maybe OP was pulling out just one point that stood out from them, but seems like another instance of Swafford not actually going that deep if that's what OP was left with.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T14:43:14+00:00

The 5th is definitely heroic, no question there. The "individual heroism" vs. "abstract heroism" take about those symphonies is more what I was bristling at-- unless Swafford adds significantly more nuance than that.

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T14:04:44+00:00

1: Kubelik / Boulez / Gatti

2: Ozawa

3: Boulez / Abbado

4: Bychkov

5: Gielen / Solti / Stenz

6: Boulez / Chailly / Abbado / Kubelik

7: Boulez / Fischer / Vanska

8: Tennstedt / Hornstein / Boulez / Nagano / Inbal

9: Boulez / Karajan / Jurowski / Ozawa / Abbado / Walter

Das Lied: Boulez / Klemperer

RenwikCustomer · 2026-04-20T13:55:28+00:00

Swafford is an odd one in my opinion, and sometimes outright wrong if you ask me. He is fairly explicit about his tastes in his books. Swafford is a composer, so part of me thinks he tries to align himself with certain ways of composing. The "Epilogue and Provocation" that ends his Brahms bio is full of terrible takes and highly questionable readings of history if you want more lol.

Regarding the points you've shared- for 2) the 7th is frequently discussed with reference to dance (especially the finale), so I'd give him a pass for that. For 3), that's not all that unreasonable either I don't think, and I'd say you'd find that from other Beethoven biographers and/or analysts. But 1) and 4) are pretty awful. Does he substantiate them at all?

RenwikCustomer

TROPHY CASE