Mahler's 2nd Symphony

As conductor of a symphony chorus, Tom experienced the many deficiencies of the usual editions of the Mahler 2 choral score: the layout is poor, the tenor part is in a difficult clef and there are errors.

Many distinguished orchestras and choruses have acquired sets of Tom's new edition of the choral score. These include the Chicago Symphony ("I'm sure that the chorus will be very happy to finally have scores that they can read"), the Cleveland Orchestra ("If it is possible to call a choral score "beautiful", then this one is beautiful"), the Seattle Symphony ("We are delighted with your edition"), the City of Birmingham Symphony ("Using it is a great joy"), Atlanta Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Westminster Symphonic Choir, BBC, Edinburgh Festival, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Hallé and many others. Conductors say it greatly reduces the rehearsal time, and improves the choir's performance and enjoyment.

Tom's edition of the choral score is based on Mahler's last revisions (1910) which formed the basis for the critical text published by Universal Edition in 1970. His edition is therefore completely compatible with the current full scores and orchestral material. In addition to the many corrections, the other main improvements can be summarised as follows:

• The tenor part is transcribed to the usual tenor G-clef and is on two staves throughout. The bass parts are also separated at one point where it is impossible to show Mahler's intentions otherwise.
• The text in some editions is not under every voice part which makes it difficult for the singers to read the notes and the text together. In this edition the text is under every voice part. There is an English translation at the foot of each page.
• The page layout in some editions causes unfortunate page turns, such as at the quietest point in the opening phrase. The layout of this edition solves these problems.

Tom's edition of the choral score is published by Goodmusic Publishing.  You can order online here.

The review in the ACDA Choral Journal (November 1995) says:
"The edition is printed beautifully. Page layout has been done purposefully to avoid page turns at the quietest moments (what a wonderful idea!). This highly recommended edition not only solves all problems, it is a bargain."