Mahler Symphony No. 5 Trauermarsch Otto Singer's 1904 piano 4-hands transcription

Mahler Symphony No. 5, first movement, Trauermarsch is heard in Otto Singer Jr.'s 1904 piano 4-hands transcription played by Piano Duo Trenkner-Speidel in 2018. This appears to be the only recording of Singer's complete 1904 4-hand piano transcription of the 5th Symphony (including the other 4 movements), and is available on MDG 930 2070-6.

Mahler realized the importance of presenting a transcription for the dissemination of his music. The experienced transcriber, Otto Singer Jr. (1863-1931) worked directly with Gustav Mahler in the working out of the piano 4-hand arrangement.

The relationship between Mahler and Singer was often contentious . Mahler is documented as disputing the manner in which Singer chose among the many polyphonic lines of the orchestral score for highlighting in the transcription Singer in turn complained of Mahler's changeability. The final published score, however incorporates several revisions to Singer's arrangement as requested by Mahler.

For more information, see:
Hartmut Haenchen, Wien Amsterdam - Symphony No. 5, (Mahler quotations in letter form), Pfau Verlag, Saarbruecken, 2001.
Barbara Meier, "Funfte Symphonie" in: Bernd Sponheuer/ Wolfram Steinbeck (eds.): Mahler Handbuch. Stuttgart/Weimar, 2010, pp. 269-85.
Eberhardt Klemm, "Zur Geschichte der Funften Symphonie von Gustav Mahler. Der Briefwechsel zwichen Mahler und dem Verlag C. F. Peters". in: Jahrbuch der Musikbibliothek Peters (1979), Leipzig, 1980, pp. 9-16.