Not according to Boulez.
And? Of course, he is entitled to his opinion, but I think he is wrong. Experiencing Mahler X by the Adagio alone is like experiencing Mahler III by its 1st movement alone. Of course, had Mahler lived the 10th qould have been (quite) different from any of the performing versions as we have them. But still, these performing versions are way better, and give a much more complete (or much less incomplete) idea of the 10th than the Adagio alone. Mind you, had Mahler lived, he no doubt had changed much in the Adagio too, for the state he left it is not the final finished score, but the draft score. So if one does not want any of the performing versions because they are "not Mahler's final word", then you must reject the Adagio too for the same reason. And, for that matter, the 9th too (which he did not fully finish out due to his work on the 5th and 10th; and never did perform, something that caused quite a bit of rewriting too in every symphony), and, since he never lived to perform it, the Lied may be questioned too....
At least Cooke provided a skeleton.
No, Mahler did. Cooke and the others made a symphonic "cloathing" thereof. Barshai calls his version a "completion", which is a bit too much honor for his attempt I think.
I think you can do better.
Thank you for the compliment, but you are as mistaken as can be!
But the Purgatorio is also a finished movement,
No, the Purgatorio is a kind of Scherzo-cum-trio with a Coda (ABA'C). Mahler finished the Scherzo and enough of the Trio to finish that part, but then wrote 'da capo" for the scherzo, not filling it out. It is performed with a literal Da Capo (resulting in ABAC), something Mahler no way would have do, he would no doubt have written the Scherzo again, but with changes therein.
all best,
gep
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Topic: Favorite Mahler Symphony