MAHLER PLAYS MAHLER –
THE WELTE-MIGNON PIANO ROLLS
In 1905 in Leipzig, Gustav Mahler recorded four piano rolls of him playing his own compositions on the Welte-Mignon system, the only documents in existence of him as a performer. (Sadly, no sound recordings or film of him are known to exist.)
The four piano rolls are as follows: -
1. “Ging heut’ morgen übers Feld” from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
2. “Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grünen Wald” from Lieder und Gesange
3. The first movement of the Fifth Symphony
4. The last movement of the Fourth Symphony, incorporating the song “Das himmlische Leben”
While piano roll technology had been in use for some time, the Welte-Mignon system was capable of capturing not only the notes but also the individual style of the pianist in terms of dynamics, accents, attacks and pedalling. Mahler was pleased with the result and later wrote, “In my astonishment and admiration I join with those who preceded me”. Other composers who made recordings using this system included Busoni, Reger, Saint-Saëns, Strauss and Grieg, as well as many famous pianists. Unfortunately Mahler’s piano rolls did not sell well, as he was in those days mostly known as a conductor. The recording equipment was a closely guarded secret and is something of a mystery today, however in 1992 the Kaplan Foundation produced a recording of the piano rolls using an apparatus called a “Vorsetzer” (literally something “set up in front”) which “plays” the keys on a modern concert grand using wooden fingers covered in felt, and two “feet” that operate the pedals.
Listening to these pieces recently I was struck by the way that they really do sound like a person playing, and not just a mechanism, not just because there are a few wrong notes! You can listen to the first four tracks here: -
Mahler was acutely aware that he was the only person who could create a “tradition” for his own works. With the exception of the first movement of Symphony No. 5, his timings were generally brisk, with an unusual degree of tempo flexibility. Did Mahler expect that singers would use the rolls for rehearsing? Tracks 5, 6 and 7 on the CD are of the three vocal works sung by mezzo Claudine Carlson (items 1 and 2 above) and soprano Yvonne Kenny (item 4), with Mahler’s recorded accompaniment, however as the accompanying booklet states, the fast tempos come “perilously close to what is possible for a singer”.
The rest of the CD consists of a section called “Remembering Mahler”, in which musicians and others who had worked with Mahler give their personal recollections of him. An interview with Mahler’s daughter Anna completes the picture.
The information above is based on the CD booklet, which goes into much greater detail. The recording is still available from Amazon, and probably more cheaply from eBay.
