How did Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt influence Gustav Mahler’s musical aims?

Gustav Mahler’s musical aims were significantly shaped by the influence of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt. Drawing from their perspectives, Mahler viewed the symphony as a vehicle for profound, subjective expressive power, which he utilized to create an autobiographical musical expression of his personal worldview.1

Specifically, Mahler adopted several key techniques associated with these composers:

• Expansion and Expression: Following the example of Wagner’s music-dramas, Mahler expanded the time span of his symphonies, enlarged his orchestral resources, and embraced uninhibited emotional expression.2
• Cyclic Structure: Mahler utilized techniques derived from Liszt’s "cyclic" method, which involves the thematic integration of a work by carrying over motives or themes from one movement to others. This approach helped him achieve formal unity within his expansive symphonic structures.34

While Mahler was a conductor by profession, he chose to focus his mature output on the symphony and song rather than opera, finding these forms more appropriate for the intimate, personal lyricism and subjective depth he sought to convey.1