Reading readers' comments on Mahler symphonies - these pedants act as if theirs is the only opinion, that they have the only knowledge - it is to laugh. So pompous. I swear, if we could do a little blind test - none of them can listen to Mahler for a year, then we get them in a room and play various versions of symphonies and see which they choose as best. My guess is they'd choose the ones they say they hate. I love the ones that say, "But Mahler has very definite markings in the score" - so you know they're listening with their eyes rather than their ears - not a good idea. And hey, playwrights put all sorts of character and stage directions in plays and musicals - any smart director will be creative and not necessarily be slavish - that's what art is. Popular songs have tempo markings galore, but so what? I've done tons of arrangements and switch things up all the time. But boy, if Mahler wrote "not too fast" and someone goes a little faster than "not too fast" the world ends.
