Your guide to classical music online

Roger 
Norrington’s 
Stupid 
Mahler 
Ninth

David Hurwitz

There 
will 
surely 
be
 enthusiasts 
for 
abominable 
performances 
such 
as 
this 
one,
 because
 novelty 
for 
its 
own 
sake 
always 
has 
its 
attractions. 
The
 problem,
though, 
is
 that
 gratuitous 
quirk s
imposed
 on 
any 
piece 
of 
music 
may 
sound
 intriguing 
once, but 
a 
compact 
disc 
is 
(virtually) 
forever. 
The 
second
 time 
they
sound 
predictable, the
 third 
boring,
 and
 the
 fourth 
time
 infuriating — assuming 
the 
listener 
gets 
that 
far at 
all.
 Norrington’s 
Mahler, 
as 
with 
so 
much 
else 
from
his 
baton, 
is 
so
 deficient 
in basic 
musicality, 
and
 so 
lacking 
in 
ideas 
beyond 
mere 
effrontery, 
that
 it’s 
hard
 to imagine 
anyone 
taking 
it 
seriously. 
But
 they
 did
 in 
Stuttgart 
evidently,
 not
 that
 this means
any thing,
 and 
I 
propose 
to 
do 
so 
as 
well, 
if 
only 
to 
explore 
just 
how
 ridiculous Norrington’s 
pretentions 
really 
are…

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