Highly Recommended: [Experiencing Mahler] will be appreciated by music lovers at all levels of expertise. The book is valuable as a journey through Mahler's oeuvre with an intelligent and perceptive companion, and as a good excuse to revisit the work of a most important but often misunderstood modern classical composer.

Choice Reviews

Ashby takes the reader on an informed tour of each work . . . Describing music with words is difficult, but Ashby is an engaging writer . . . What sets his book apart from similar efforts are CD timestamps . . . that allow readers to “drop the needle” on exactly what is being discussed at a given moment.

American Record Guide

Where does one start? How could even a seasoned Mahlerian find fresh perspectives on his work? If you’re completely new to Mahler’s music, where do you go for an informed but approachable introduction? The answer to all three questions is Arved Ashby’s Experiencing Mahler. Taking us one by one through the symphonies and major song cycles, Ashby combines history, analysis, and critical observation into a highly enjoyable and thought-provoking read. For a clear and informative introduction to Mahler, look no further.

Andrew Desiderio, Fanfare

A pleasure. Ashby takes us lovingly through each piece, page-by-page or even phrase-by-phrase. His ability to get into the ideas behind Mahler's scores, asking basic questions on meaning and style is refreshing and perceptive. Experiencing Mahler will make a great introduction to this enthralling composer, or a spur for the already initiated.

Thomas Hampson, baritone, founder of the Hampsong Foundation, and collaborator on Leonard Bernstein's final Mahler recording

During the pandemic I've found myself teaching my Mahler course from home. Experiencing Mahler has been my closest companion— I consulted it nearly every day for Ashby's brilliant insights into the details of the music. This is a superb addition to the resources for studying Mahler.

Susan McClary, MacArthur Fellow and author of Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality and Conventional Wisdom: The Content of Musical Form

A book like this succeeds if it leads the reader back to the music. I put the thing down every few pages because I just had to listen.

Christopher Purdy, Broadcast Manager and On-Air Host, Classical 101, WOSU Public Media