In the years approaching the centenary of Mahler's death, this book provides both summation of, and starting point for, an assessment and reassessment of the composer's output and creative activity. Authored by a collection of leading specialists in Mahler scholarship, its opening chapters place the composer in socio-political and cultural contexts, and discuss his work in light of developments in the aesthetics of musical meaning. Part II examines from a variety of analytical, interpretative and critical standpoints the complete range of his output, from early student works and unfinished fragments to the sketches and performing versions of the Tenth Symphony. Part III evaluates Mahler's role as interpreter of his own and other composers' works during his lifelong career as operatic and orchestral conductor. Part IV addresses Mahler's fluctuating reception history from scholarly, journalistic, creative, public and commercial perspectives, with special attention being paid to his compositional legacy.

Chronology: Introduction: Marginalia on Mahler today Jeremy Barham; Part I. Cultural Contexts: 1. Socio-political landscapes: reception and biography Peter Franklin; 2. The literary and philosophical worlds of Gustav Mahler Morten Solvik; 3. Music and aesthetics Vera Micznik; Part II. Mahler the Creative Musician: 4. Juvenilia and early works: from the first song fragments to Das klagende Lied Jeremy Barham; 5. Song and symphony (I). Lieder und Gesänge Vol.1, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and the First Symphony: compositional patterns for the future Zoltan Roman; 6. Song and song-symphony (I). Des Knaben Wunderhorn and the Second, Third and Fourth Symphonies: music of heaven and earth Peter Revers; 7. Song and symphony (II). From Wunderhorn to Rückert and the middle-period symphonies: vocal and instrumental works for a new century Stephen E. Hefling; 8. The 'greatest' and the 'most personal': the Eighth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde Christian Wildhagen; 9. The last works Jörg Rothkamm; Part III. Mahler the Re-creative Musician: 10. Mahler as conductor in the opera house and concert hall Herta Blaukopf; 11. Arrangements and Retuschen - Mahler and Werktreue David Pickett; Part IV. Reception and Performance: 12. Issues in Mahler reception: historicism and misreadings after 1960 Christoph Metzger; 13. The history of the International Gustav Mahler Society in Vienna and the complete critical edition Reinhold Kubik; 14. Musical languages of love and death: Mahler's compositional legacy Stephen Downes; 15. Mahler conducted and recorded: from the concert hall to DVD Lewis M. Smoley; 16. New research paths in criticism, analysis and interpretation John Williamson; Appendix.