Abstract

Mahler: A Musical Physiognomy constitutes one of the cornerstones of Adorno’s philosophy of music. His excellence concerns the richness of motivations and the density of Adorno’s reflections, but does not exclude a certain interpretative redundancy, almost a tendency to build, literally and theoretically, a sort of world parallel to Mahler’s music. It is therefore necessary to critically examine this monograph, introducing some corrections with respect to Adorno’s perspective. This article, which takes on some interpretative categories elaborated by Adorno, then proceeds autonomously, in an attempt to offer a new reading of some key moments of Mahler’s First Symphony. The reading is carried out by the light of the link between music, thought and language, but always starting, in the analysis, from the first term.