History Klavierquartett

Composed

Year 1876.

Performances by Gustav Mahler

The single movement work, which is marked ‘Nicht zu schnell’ (not too fast), is scored for a standard piano quartet, (piano, violin, viola, and cello).
10-07-1876 Conservatory of Vienna (Anton-von-Webern-Platz No. 1) (premiere of the complete piece?).
1876 Concert Jihlava 12-09-1876 – Sonata for violin and piano, Quartet for piano, 2 violins and viola (piano).
According to Fritz Redlich (1868-1921) it was ‘believed lost in Russia’.
In the summer of 1972 a copy was provided by Prof. Erwin Ratz (International Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft in Vienna) with the indication ‘Clavierquartett’ and the name of Gustav Mahler in his own handwriting. Somebody else added ‘1. Satz’ and ‘1876’. The manuscript has many spelling errors and seems to be written in a great hurry.

Versions

10-03-1932 Germany: The first performance was given on 10 March 1932 as the second item in a radio programme, Kuriositäten-Kabinett II, broadcast at 21:45 by Südwestdeutsche Rundfunk. The performers were members of the Amar Quartet – Licco Amar or Walter Caspar (vn), Erich Kraack (vla), Maurits Frank (vcl) – and Erich Itor Kahn (pf).
12-02-1964 United States: The first live performance was given by members of the Galimir Quartet, with Peter Serkin, at a concert of the International Society for Contemporary Music, United States Section Inc., at Philharmonic Hall, New York, on 12 February 1964.
00-02-1973 United states – New York: Performance. Young musiciancs, small setting.
00-07-1973 Netherlands – Amsterdam: First recording. This recording has been approved by Anna Justine Mahler (Gucki) (1904-1988). Recorded by KRO and the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. Editorial Marius Flothuis (1914-2001). Pianokwartet: Ina Overkamp (piano), Nobuyuki Shioda (violin), Klaas Boon (viola) and Saskia Boon (violoncel). Number 6802 383.1 V. 45rpm.
01-06-1968 United Kingdom: UK Premiere.
00-00-1997 Vienna: Critical edition. Gustav Mahler, Klavierquartett, 1. Satz, für Violine, Viola, Violoncello und Klavier, Sämtliche Werke, Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Supplement Band III, herausgegeben von Manfred Wagner-Artzt, mit ein Vorwort von Renate Hilmar-Voit und einem Kritischen Bericht von Reinhold Kubik (Vienna: Universal Edition, 1997)
12-11-2009 Netherlands – Amsterdam: Premiere ‘Nicht zu schnell’, arrangement of Gustav Mahlers’ Klavierquartett in a (1876) by Colin Matthews (1946) for full orchestra. Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO), conductor: Lothar Zagrosek. See Colin Matthews (1946).