Gustav Mahler's symphonies reissued
The publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel is launching the publication of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies. The content of the new editions follows on from the symphony volumes of the Complete Critical Edition.
Published since 1960 by the International Gustav Mahler Society, the symphonies have been published by four different publishers and have since undergone a series of improved subsequent and corrected new editions. This poses a number of practical problems for the user: on the one hand, the variety of differently revised editions is confusing. On the other hand, consistency between scores and performance material is not always guaranteed.
Based on a presumed "last-hand version", a new critical review of the musical text seemed necessary in order to offer greater reliability in terms of content. Without fundamentally questioning the source evaluation of the Complete Critical Edition, according to the publisher, a large number of clarifications were achieved and editorial inconsistencies and errors that have since become known were corrected.
Breitkopf & Härtel therefore gave top priority to improving the performance material. The new typesetting of the score and orchestral parts in a larger format and Rastral ensures a uniform appearance and optimum legibility for the first time. Close cooperation with librarians from leading international orchestras guarantees that special practical aspects of the orchestral parts are taken into account, such as transposed parts for interchangeable instruments that are rarely used today or additional parts for instruments positioned off-stage or for instrumental amplification.
